Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer.
Facing a generational exodus and the threats of a changing climate, this rich culture, amassed over centuries, may vanish in what amounts to the blink of an eye.
In California and across the drought-parched West, programs are springing up to help goats, sheep, and cattle eat down the plants that would otherwise become fuel for wildfires.
