Refuge occupiers clash with environmentalists

President Theodore Roosevelt established the refuge in 1908 to protect wildlife from widespread destruction by market hunters, uncontrolled mining and ranching in the West.

“Armed protestors don’t belong here”, said Charlotte Rodrique, Burns Paiute Tribal Chair.

“There’s so much you can gain from looking at one artifact: Where the stone came from, how far they traveled, how it was used, the skill of the person who made it”, she said. “They should be held accountable”.

The rancher occupation began the night of January 1 as a protest against two ranchers who were sentenced to return to prison after serving a sentence for burning federal lands.

His Facebook page showed a photo of himself with Cliven Bundy, the father of the OR refuge protest leader Ammon Bundy, as well as multiple posts in support of the current occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Meanwhile, one of the protesters at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge has been arrested by Oregon State Police for his involvement in a stolen vehicle from the property. This is a first step towards greater cultural resources protection under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Tensions continued as the militia group that took over an OR wildlife refuge paved new roads and removed fences and security cameras. On Friday, Bundy told the Associated Press that his group is not interested in the native artifacts and would turn them over to the tribe if asked. “I don’t agree with anything they’re doing right now”, Ben McCanna said about the occupiers at the refuge.

The arrest was aided by state troopers and deputies from several sheriff’s offices around the state who were in the county to assist Harney County Sheriff David M. Ward.

The Malheur refuge contains about 300 prehistoric sites, including ancient villages and burial sites.

“I think the mass of the community, especially the rural community, are 100 percent in favor of what we’re trying to accomplish here”, Ryan Bundy said. In addition to gun control and wildlife organizations, the money raised will also go to the Paiute people, a Native American tribe that has claimed the land the ranchers are occupying is sacred ground to their ancestors. He also condemned the government for harassing families.

The group has previously said they would not leave until a plan was in place to turn over federal lands to local authorities.