The BART bestiary expanded by one species this year when a flock of sheep took over fire mitigation duties previously held by their goat cousins, transit agency officials announced this week.

The sheep, like the goats before them, are employed to devour dried vegetation on BART property in order to reduce the fuels that could feed wildfires.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.