Tensions high at standoff
BURNS, Ore. — People in this Oregon town are used to worrying about friction between the federal government and locals, but the armed takeover of a nearby national wildlife refuge is raising concerns to a new high.
Armed protesters, who police say are coming from outside the area, took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns on Saturday after participating in a peaceful rally over the prison sentences of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond.
The Hammonds were convicted of arson three years ago for fires that burned on federal land in 2001 and 2006. Though they served their original sentences for the conviction — Dwight serving three months, Steven serving one year — an appellate judge ruled in October that the terms were too short under federal minimum sentencing laws. Both men were ordered back to prison for four years each. They have said they plan to turn themselves in today.
The decision to send the man back to prison generated controversy and is part of a decades-long dispute between some Westerners and the federal government over the use of public lands.
Brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy are among those occupying the refuge. Their father, Cliven Bundy, was involved in a 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights in Nevada.
Ryan Bundy told The Associated Press on Sunday he hopes to turn the land over to local authorities so people can use it free of federal oversight. He said he hopes the takeover of the property will prompt others to take action across the country to seize local control of federally managed land. Ammon Bundy has previously called on members of militia groups to take a stand with those at the refuge.
On Sunday afternoon, pickup trucks blocked the entrance to the refuge and armed men wearing camouflage +and winter gear used radios to alert those at the refuge buildings when reporters were allowed onto the property.
Pheasants wandered across the driveway, scattering as men in utility vehicles traversed the property. Ryan Bundy declined to say how many people were at the site.
“The end goal here is that we are here to restore the rights to the people here so that they can use the land and resources. All of them,” Bundy said. That means ranchers can graze their cattle on the land, miners can use their mineral rights, loggers can cut trees and hunters and fishers can recreate, he said.
He said they planned on staying at the refuge as long as it takes. If the situation turns violent, Bundy contends it will be because of the federal government’s actions. “I mean, we’re here to restore order, we’re here to restore rights and that can go peacefully and easily,” Bundy said.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said in a statement Sunday that the group of armed protesters came to town under false pretenses.
“These men came to Harney County claiming to be part of militia groups supporting local ranchers, when in reality these men had alternative motives to attempt to over throw the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the United States,” Ward said.
