Militia members occupy federal wildlife refuge building

But the protestors, including Ammon Bundy (the son of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who staged an armed standoff against the Bureau of Land Management in 2014) say that the ranchers land rights are being stomped on by #biggovernment.

A group of armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing 292 square miles (75,628 hectares), was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a breeding ground for greater sandhill cranes and other native birds. He wouldn’t give his name because he said he feared being caught between the federal government and the militia.

Ward, the sheriff of Harney County, said the group of armed protesters came to town under false pretenses. “We will continue to monitor the situation”. Both men were reportedly arrested for obstructing federal officials in 1994 – in protest of which “nearly 500 incensed ranchers showed up at a rally in Burns”, according to High Country News. Saturday afternoon, a group from the protests took over the wildlife refuge.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy – sons of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher known for another standoff with the federal government a year ago – were among the occupiers.

Snowdrifts and miles of desolate highway studded with sagebrush and tumbleweed separate Burns, near the refuge, from Boise, Idaho, the nearest big city, which is about 220 miles to the east. Regulars at the Oasis, a restaurant in Juntura, Oregon, said groups of travelers coming from Idaho had been stopping for food and gas on the way to Burns, where they hoped to lend support to the protesters. This is not a decision we’ve made at the last minute. The two men refused to provide details on how many people were taking part in the occupation, but militia members claim there are as many as 150 people at the refuge. Critics of the federal government say it often oversteps its authority and exercises arbitrary power over land use without sufficient accountability. “Please maintain a peaceful and united front and allow us to work through this situation”.

Through their lawyer, the Hammonds have distanced themselves from the Bundys, according to CBS News.

When asked how long the group will stay, Ammon Bundy told KOIN 6 News, “As long as is necessary.” Ward said that his office was working with “several organizations” to ensure the safety of Harney County residents.

Ammon Bundy held a press conference on Sunday, one day after the protesters began occupying the building, saying that the federal government does not have the right to own or control land. “I feel we are in a situation where if we do not do something, if we do not take a hard stand, we’ll be in a position where we’ll be no longer able to do so”, he said.

The father and son say they began the fire to reduce the growth of invasive plants and to protect their property from wildfires.

But a judge ruled their sentences too lenient under federal law and ordered them to serve an additional four years each.

The protest has prompted Harney County School District 3 to call off classes for the week, Superintendent Dr. Marilyn L. McBride said.

“By standing with the Hammonds, we stand for our children and our children’s children”, Ammon Bundy said in a November 2015 YouTube video.

He called the prosecution of the Hammonds “a symptom of a very huge, egregious problem” that he described as a battle over land and resources between the federal government and “the American people”. He said it’s an example of the government’s overreach, especially when it comes to land rights.

Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for militia members to come help him.

He said the group would remain there indefinitely and told an interviewer he hoped more supporters would join them. “We would not fire on them unless they fired on us”.

“We’re planning on staying here for years, absolutely”, he said. “There is no person that is physically harmed by what we are doing”. “What we’re doing is in accordance with the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land”.

“The facility has been the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds”, he said. No employees were in the building, he said in a statement.

Ian Kullgren, a reporter for The Oregonian, posted on Twitter that he had spoken by phone with Bundy Sunday morning.

Some ranchers have strongly objected to the government’s management of federal lands, especially over issues of water or environmental conservation, and to the terms of their leases.