In mid-October, biologists with the San Bernardino National Forest implemented a burro roundup, the first in 12 years, to reduce the number of wild burros in the Shay Meadows area. The corral trap, which lured the burros in given the availability of food and water, remained in place into the Thanksgiving weekend (though the trap was taken down before the snowstorm) and, all told, resulted in the roundup of 50 burros from our area; the 1997 roundup corralled 90 burros. Robin Eliason, biologist with the Forest Service, tells KBHR that they will continue to monitor the situation and, if deemed necessary, will re-establish the burro corral in the spring. In the meantime, Big Bear’s burros will be offered for adoption through the Bureau of Land Management’s wild burro adoption program; the next adoption opportunity is this Saturday in Redlands. If burros continue to be an issue in your neighborhood, sightings can be reported to the Forest Service; please email Robin Eliason or Marc Stamer. (Click on bold print items for links.)
