Armed group calls meeting to talk with OR community

The speech by Walden, whose district includes Harney County, has gone viral online.

The group of roughly 20 armed militia at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon have been occupying the federal building for ten days now and have been running short on supplies. The protesters say their action reflects their grievances over the federal prosecution of two eastern OR ranchers on arson charges and broader opposition to federal land-management policies in the West.

County Judge Steve Grasty says he intends to bill Ammon Bundy for $60k to $75k in daily county costs due to occupation.

Teens in Burns, Oregon, got an extension on their winter break when schools were closed for an additional week due to the standoff at the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

“I am very upset”, rancher Tim Puckett told The Oregonian, which labeled the destruction a “stunt”. It’s not clear where the fence was located or which rancher sought the group’s help.

“My constituents serve as park rangers and wildlife biologists, volunteer in visitor centers, and routinely hunt, hike, ski, bike, and camp with their families on these public lands”, Heinrich said.

“Self-identified militia members” approach them in public, Ward said, trying to start a debate about the federal government. “Any movement of cattle onto the Refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized by USFWS constitutes trespassing”.

Seeking to clarify the “jurisdictional situation”, Wolf said the Federal Bureau of Investigation remains in charge of making and implementing any plans to end the siege. But as you drive the 30 miles south on that reliably treacherous, icy, foggy road to the refuge, there continues to be no visible law enforcement presence.

Federal offices in the Burns area remain closed out of security concerns. BLM spokesman Randy Eardley said about 60 BLM employees were working from home. Bundy called the occupation a “moral and righteous stand for the future of this country”. The Burns Paiute accused the Bundy-led group of “desecrating one of our sacred sites”, according to the Associated Press. I know that all of my friends have been scared and have come to me to know what to do. Heinrich, a regular hunter and angler, opposes selling-off most public lands to state governments or private entities.

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward has asked the group to leave, and called them outsiders who “hijacked” the peaceful protest over the convicted ranchers, father and son Dwight and Steven Hammond, in order to advance their own agenda.