Sheriff says they will not be intimidated

Local law enforcement is accusing armed protesters who seized an OR wildlife refuge of harassment and intimidation.

The occupiers, who called themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom and are mainly from outside OR, have presented themselves as Robin Hood types, stepping forward to defend rural ranchers against the federal government.

The occupation has been mostly quiet up to this point.

Tearing apart a federal fence takes the standoff to a new level.

At the meeting, Sheriff Ward again told Ammon Bundy and his men to go home.

Also Saturday a separate group of armed men arrived but left several hours later after occupation leaders told them they weren’t needed.

Bundy said his group is not accessing computers used by refuge employees, but do have access to government files and are looking through them, as well as using government vehicles on the site and posting a new sign over the wildlife refuge’s sign, proclaiming it the “Harney County Resource Center”. Protesters are occupying the refuge to object to a prison sentence for local ranchers for burning federal land. “Any movement of cattle onto the Refuge or other activities that are not specifically authorized by USFWS constitutes trespassing”, the USFWS said, adding it “also destroys the positive conservation impacts reaped” over decades.

In a statement from the US Fish and Wildlife, spokesperson Jason Holm said enormous effort has been made over the past 100 years to restore a devastated landscape at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He said law enforcement officials are committed to finding a peaceful resolution, “and the behavior of these folks from outside of our community only serves to escalate the situation unnecessarily”.

Government offices in the area remained closed, including those of the Bureau of Land Management. BLM spokesman Randy Eardley said about 60 BLM employees are working from home.

“While not direct physical threats, these activities are clearly created to try to intimidate”, he said.

The group has occupied the federal building since January 2, however, the FBI has yet to move on the group, citing the need to end the standoff with a peaceful resolve.

According to AP, Bundy has refused to cooperate with local law enforcement, residents, and the OR governor’s request that the group leave the federal property. Bundy called the occupation a “moral and righteous stand for the future of this country”.

“I feel threatened, but I’m not going to let a bunch of bullies scare me off of this”, said VeneKlasen, who works for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and said he had come from New Mexico to register his complaint.

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