Junction City ? A Kansas rancher has granted a permanent conservation easement on nearly 7,000 acres of Flint Hills native tallgrass prairie near Fort Riley.

Kansas Land Trust says the grant by Rod Moyer of Junction City will protect the land from development.

The easement program is part of an effort to create a buffer zone between the Army post and nearby communities to prevent encroachment that would disturb wildlife and prairie habitat.

A dedication ceremony for the grant will take place Thursday at the Moyer ranch headquarters. Members of the Kansas Land Trust are taking part, along with Wildlife and Parks Secretary Mike Hayden and Brig. Gen. David Peterson of Fort Riley’s 1st Infantry Division.