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The burros have roamed the pine forests and sagebrush fields of the Big Bear Valley area, but their numbers could overwhelm rare and endangered species of plants.

Our ranch house’s high windows opened onto the sagebrush hills and a bit of an ocean view.

I pass through fragrant California sagebrush and wild fennel in one spot, a blend of sweet pea, lilac and kicked-up dirt in another.

On the ground, amid the sagebrush and tumbleweeds, are a few old barracks, a weathered wooden fence strung with barbed wire and a wind-battered guard tower.

But a lack of lawns doesn’t equate to a lack of life: Picture aromatic sagebrush, bright yellow sunflowers, flowering yuccas, humble scrubs and native grasses billowing in the breeze.