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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 23 As FBI goes through evidence at refuge, town awaits normalcy By rebecca Boone Associated Press BURNS (AP) — As the FBI focuses on its criminal investigation at the national wildlife refuge taken over by an armed group, land manag- ers must get ready to reopen the 300-square-mile area, which draws birdwatchers, anglers and hunters and is a key economic engine of the surrounding area. Meanwhile, snow is melt- ing and filling the untended irrigation canals at the refuge. Tourist groups are beginning to plan summer trips. Local business owners are wonder- ing what their normally busy summer season will look like. Residents are wondering if the deep divisions in the com- munity created by the 41-day standoff will leave lasting scars. In other words, the clock is still ticking for a community eager to resume normal life. “People need to heal,” said Linda Gainer, owner of The Narrows restaurant and RV park. The business is just a few miles from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and counts on the dollars spent by birdwatchers and other tour- ists. “I didn’t have any people say, ‘I’ll never be your friend again.’ But we did have crappy emails. I’m hoping the birders come back.” One National Audubon Society group from Portland has already contacted the business to make a dinner reservation for their annual trip, which left Gainer feeling relieved. “That was one of the best emails I think I’ve ever had,” she said. A group of armed protest- ers angry about federal land- use policy seized the south- eastern Oregon property on Jan. 2, demanding the U.S. turn over public lands to locals and exposing simmering anger over the government’s control of vast expanses of Western range. Several people have been arrested during the stand- off, and one protester was shot during a confrontation with police several miles from the refuge. The last four holdouts at the refuge surrendered Feb. 11. Larry Karl, the assistant special agent in charge for the FBI in Portland, said it will take several weeks for offi- cials to collect evidence and clear the crime scene. Then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be tasked with cleaning up the site, including garbage or debris left by the people who occupied the refuge dur- ing the standoff. Because dirt was moved — potentially damaging prehistoric archaeo- logical sites — and thousands of artifacts are stored at the refuge, archaeologists and members of the Burns Paiute Tribe will have to spend time making sure nothing is miss- ing or damaged and repairing any problems. Eventually, land manag- ers will be allowed to catch up on all the maintenance and ecological work normally per- formed during winter months. “There are some water- control issues that are pretty imminent,” said Jason Holms, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The ref- uge is artificially irrigated by runoff from the Steens Moun- tains, and they had a greater- than-average snowpack this year. There’s 200 miles of irri- gation canals within the ref- uge, and a series of dams and water-control measures.” Workers normally spend January and February check- ing the canals and dams and repairing any damage that occurred during the previous months. If that work isn’t com- pleted in time, parts of the ref- uge could flood — potentially damaging prehistoric sites — and wetlands could be left without needed moisture, hurt- ing the bird populations that live there, Holms said. But more urgently, the 17 U.S. Fish and Wildlife work- ers who work at the refuge headquarters have spent much of the last 41 days far from their homes. They were relo- cated along with their families during the standoff because of safety concerns. they’re not just missing work, which is important to them, but they’re basketball coaches and church members. their children have missed school... — Jason Holms “They’re not just missing work, which is important to them, but they’re basketball coaches and church members. Their children have missed school as well,” Holms said. “We’ve worked really closely with the local school district and the superintendents to make sure that the students’ progress is impacted as little as possible.” The homecoming could be difficult for some, he said, simply because of all the stress the families endured during the standoff. “They don’t necessarily know what they’re going back to both on the refuge and off the refuge,” he said. “We’re keeping close tabs on them emotionally.” President Theodore Roos- evelt created the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 1908. Administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice, the 300-square-mile refuge is partly a marshland that’s a key rest area in the Oregon high desert for migrat- ing birds. The number of migrating shorebirds qualifies the refuge as a Regional West- ern Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve, the wildlife service says. It also supports more than 20 percent of the state’s breed- ing population of greater sandhill cranes, as well as many other species. Bird- ing is a popular pastime at the refuge, which also draws anglers, hunters and watchers of wildlife. Prevent a Litter, Fix Your Critter! FURRY FRIEND S FOUNDATION 501 ( c )( 3 ) www.furryfriendsfoundation.org 541-549-9941 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization Spay/Neuter Sponsorships - Easy as 1-2-3 1 Stop by The Nugget offi ce to fi ll out a short form 2 Call Bend Spay & Neuter for the appointment 3 Take your pet — Furry Friends pays. Done!
