San Manuel Fire Department deploys goats for fire prevention

The goats are back.

The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation’s Fire Department has deployed hundreds of goats to to graze dry brush and invasive grasses near the fire-prone San Bernardino mountains.

The herd of about 400 is part of the department’s wildfire prevention strategy leading into Southern California’s peak fire season.

The herd is let loose in the early spring, grazes through the fall, and then spends the winter at a nearby farm.

Tribal officials say the effort is part of its broader land stewardship mission, which includes adopting proactive fire mitigation strategies well ahead of new state mandates which require homeowners to reduce flammable material around structures. Goats are a natural way of ensuring the safety of the reservation and the greater community from wildfire and reducing the need for chemical treatments.

Since 2019, the San Manuel Fire Department has employed the use of goats for fire prevention. The brush that covers the hillsides is an ideal food source as goats favor food at eye level, which sustains native plants that recover naturally over time.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Fire Department was established in 2003 to fight the threat of wildfires on their reservation near the San Bernardino National Forest.