'On Burro'd Time': Burros of the Grand Canyon and the Pursuit of Undying Wilderness

Ever since its establishment as a national monument in 1908, the Grand Canyon has served as Arizona's foremost natural wonder and a premier icon of American wilderness. To maintain the region's wild allure- or, in the words of ex-forest firefighter Stephen Pyne, to "keep the Canyon Grand"- park rangers have grappled with a multitude of issues from automobile congestion to uranium mining. In the field of wildlife management, restoring the Canyon to its per-Columbian splendor has entailed tough decisions - none more so than in 1976 plan to eliminate a sizable population of feral burros roaming the preserve.