Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2016)
14 CapitalPress.com January 8, 2016 Standoff Occupiers want federal lands turned over to ranchers, loggers BURNS, Ore. (AP) — A leader of the small, armed group of people occupying a re- mote national wildlife preserve in Oregon said Tuesday they will go home when a plan is in place to turn over management of federal lands to locals. Ammon Bundy told report- ers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that ranchers, loggers and farmers should have control of federal land — a common refrain in a de- FDGHVORQJ ¿JKW RYHU SXEOLF lands in the West. “It is our goal to get the log- JHUEDFNWRORJJLQJWKHUDQFK- HU EDFN WR UDQFKLQJ´ VDLG WKH son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a KLJKSUR¿OHVWDQGRIIZLWK the government over grazing rights. The younger Bundy’s an- ti-government group is critical RIIHGHUDOODQGVWHZDUGVKLSEXW environmentalists and others VD\ 86 RI¿FLDOV VKRXOG NHHS FRQWURO IRU WKH EURDGHVW SRVVL- EOH EHQH¿W WR EXVLQHVV UHFUH- ation and the environment. The armed group seized the refuge’s headquarters Saturday QLJKW5RXJKO\SHRSOHEXQ- GOHG LQ FDPRXÀDJH HDUPXIIV Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press Members of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters stand guard Jan. 4 near Burns, Ore. The group calls itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom and has sent a “demand IRUUHGUHVV´WRORFDOVWDWHDQGIHGHUDORI¿FLDOV7KHDUPHGDQWLJRYHUQPHQWJURXSWRRNRYHUWKHUHPRWH QDWLRQDOZLOGOLIHUHIXJHLQ2UHJRQDVSDUWRIDGHFDGHVORQJ¿JKWRYHUSXEOLFODQGVLQWKH:HVW DQG FRZER\ KDWV VHHP WR EH centered around a complex of EXLOGLQJV RQ WKH VTXDUH mile preserve in the high desert. $VRI:HGQHVGD\IHGHUDORI¿- FLDOVKDGQRWWDNHQRYHUWVWHSV to remove or arrest them. Bundy’s stated goals didn’t set well with American Indians, who have denounced the occu- pation and asserted a superior claim to the property. +DPPRQGVZLOOVHHN SDUGRQIURP2EDPD The Associated Press An attorney for two Oregon ranchers whose impending pris- on sentences led an armed JURXS WR WDNH Dwight over a national wildlife refuge Hammond says they will VHHN FOHPHQF\ from the presi- dent. Kendra M. Matthews, a lawyer for Dwight and 6WHYHQ Steven Ham- Hammond mond, said Monday that the father and VRQZLOODVN3UHVLGHQW%DUDFN 2EDPDWRSDUGRQWKHP7KH\ were convicted of arson for VHWWLQJ ¿UHV RQ IHGHUDO ODQG LQDQGDQGVHUYHG some prison time. $ MXGJH VDLG LQ 2FWREHU that their terms were too short DQG RUGHUHG WKHP EDFN WR prison. Matthews reiterated that the Hammonds intend to VXUUHQGHU 0RQGD\ WR EHJLQ serving their terms. 7KHLUVHQWHQFHVKDYHEHHQ a rallying cry for the group who say they ultimately want to turn over the refuge land to local authorities so people can use it free of U.S. over- sight. The leader of an Oregon ,QGLDQ WULEH ZKRVH DQFHVWUDO SURSHUW\ LV EHLQJ RFFXSLHG E\ the armed group opposed to federal land policy says the ac- tivists aren’t welcome and need to leave. %XUQV 3DLXWH 7ULEDO &KDLU Charlotte Rodrique told report- HUV :HGQHVGD\ WKDW WKH WULEH LV FRQFHUQHG DERXW GDPDJH WR cultural artifacts. She says the group is “desecrating one of our VDFUHGVLWHV´ Rodrique said she “had to ODXJK´DWWKHJURXS¶VJRDOEH- FDXVHVKHNQHZ%XQG\ZDVQ¶W WDONLQJ DERXW JLYLQJ WKH ODQG EDFNWRWKHWULEH “We have no sympathy for WKRVHZKRDUHWU\LQJWRWDNHWKH ODQGIURPLWVULJKWIXORZQHUV´ she said. Rodrique said the Paiute people spent winters in the area EHIRUH VHWWOHUV UDQFKHUV DQG trappers arrived. 6KH VD\V WKH WULEH VLJQHG D IHGHUDO WUHDW\ LQ DQG H[- pected the government to honor the agreement to protect their interests, though the U.S. Sen- ate never approved it. Bundy’s anti-government group is critical of federal land stewardship. But environmen- talists and others say U.S. of- ¿FLDOV VKRXOG NHHS FRQWURO IRU WKHEURDGHVWSRVVLEOHEHQH¿WWR EXVLQHVVUHFUHDWLRQDQGWKHHQ- vironment. Randy Eardley, a Bureau of /DQG0DQDJHPHQWVSRNHVPDQ said the group’s call for land RZQHUVKLSWUDQVIHUGLGQ¶WPDNH sense. “It is frustrating when I hear the demand that we return the ODQGWRWKHSHRSOHEHFDXVHLWLV LQWKHSHRSOH¶VKDQGV´(DUGOH\ VDLG ³(YHU\ERG\ LQ WKH 8QLW- ed States owns that land. ... :HPDQDJHLWWKHEHVWZHFDQ for its owners, the people, and whether it’s for recreating, for grazing, for energy and mineral GHYHORSPHQW´ Bundy said the group felt it had the support of the local community, and had originally said the group would leave if WROGWRGRVRE\WKHFRPPXQL- ty. But the county sheriff has told the group to go home, and many locals don’t want them DURXQGIHDULQJWKH\PD\EULQJ WURXEOH $ FRPPXQLW\ PHHW- ing was scheduled for later Wednesday, after the Capital Press deadline. The group, calling itself Cit- izens for Constitutional Free- dom, said it wants an inquiry into whether the government is forcing ranchers off their land after Dwight Hammond and his VRQ 6WHYHQ UHSRUWHG EDFN WR prison Monday. The Hammonds, who have distanced themselves from the group, were convicted of arson three years ago and served no more than a year. A judge later ruled that the terms fell short of minimum sentences requiring WKHPWRVHUYHDERXWIRXUPRUH years. Such land disputes date EDFN GHFDGHV LQ WKH :HVW ,Q WKH V 1HYDGD DQG RWK- er states pushed for local FRQWURO LQ ZKDW ZDV NQRZQ DV WKH 6DJHEUXVK 5HEHOOLRQ Supporters wanted more land for cattle grazing, mining and WLPEHUKDUYHVWLQJ 2UHJRQ&DWWOHPHQ¶V$VVRFLDWLRQFULWLFL]HVPLOLWLDWDNHRYHU By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Add the Oregon Cattle- men’s Association to the list of groups that don’t approve RI WKH PLOLWLD WDNHRYHU RI D IHGHUDO EXLOGLQJ VRXWK RI Burns. In a prepared statement -DQ2&$3UHVLGHQW-RKQ O’Keeffe noted that Harney &RXQW\ UDQFKHUV KDYH EHHQ ³YHU\UHVRXUFHIXO´LQZRUN- ing with federal agencies on wildlife issues in particular. “Furthermore, OCA does not support illegal DFWLYLW\ WDNHQ DJDLQVW WKH government. This includes PLOLWLD WDNHRYHU RI JRY- ernment property, such as the Malheur Wildlife 5HIXJH´ 49-2/#8 Eric Mortenson/Capital Press &RQWUDU\WRWKHDQWLJRYHUQPHQWPLOLWLDQRZFODLPLQJWRDFWRQWKHLUEHKDOI+DUQH\&RXQW\2UH UDQFKHUVYROXQWDULO\VLJQHGVDJHJURXVHKDELWDWFRQVHUYDWLRQDJUHHPHQWVZLWK86)LVK:LOGOLIH 6HUYLFHVLQVSULQJ However, OCA Execu- tive Director Jerome Rosa said the organization con- tinues to support Burns-area ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, who reported to federal prison Monday to serve additional time IRU EXUQLQJ %/0 ODQG7KH 2&$ EHOLHYHV WKHLU UHVHQ- tencing was a “classic case RI GRXEOH MHRSDUG\´ DQG LV calling for clemency. 7KH VHOIGHVFULEHG PLOL- WLDPHPEHUVDUHOHGE\$P- PRQ %XQG\ ZKR WRRN SDUW LQ WKH DUPHG VWDQGRII at the Nevada ranch of his father, Cliven Bundy, over the family’s non-payment of federal grazing fees. The younger Bundy and fellow EHOLHYHUV DUULYHG LQ %XUQV YRZLQJ WR ³VXSSRUW´ WKH Hammonds. 7KH\ WRRN RYHU WKH 0DO- heur National Wildlife Ref- uge headquarters during the 1HZ <HDU¶V KROLGD\ ZHHN- end when it was closed and vacant. 7KH PLOLWLD PHPEHUV DS- pear to have few if any ties to the case or to the local area. Ironically, as O’Keeffe referenced, Harney County UDQFKHUV ZRUNHG H[WHQVLYH- ly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and oth- er local, state and federal DJHQFLHVRQLPSURYLQJKDE- itat for greater sage grouse. The voluntary conserva- WLRQ DJUHHPHQWV VLJQHG E\ county ranchers set a stan- GDUG IRU KDELWDW SURWHFWLRQ on private property through- out the West and are credit- HGZLWKNHHSLQJVDJHJURXVH off the federal endangered VSHFLHVOLVWLQ A county rancher, Tom Sharp, coined the phrase that summed up the col- ODERUDWLRQ ³:KDW¶V JRRG IRU WKH ELUG LV JRRG IRU WKH KHUG´ O’Keeffe said the OCA is circulating an online peti- WLRQDVNLQJWKH:KLWH+RXVH to review the Hammonds’ case.
