So far authorities have made no move to remove the group from the refuge.
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The vehicle, and another next to it, had signs that said “Harney County Resource Center”, on them, the name protesters have given to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, according to the news website.
The group says it opposes federal ownership of the land, which they claim should be given to locals, and is also advocating the release of two ranchers imprisoned for arson.
Cement barriers block off streets around the county courthouse in the small eastern OR town of Burns where police from around the state have set up a command center in response to a standoff at a nearby wildlife refuge.
Authorities also say they recovered a second stolen vehicle from the refuge, but provided no other details.
As a standoff at an OR wildlife refuge hits the two-week mark, local residents are growing increasingly tired and wary. He criticized local officials for “making sure we have no access to facilities to talk to the residents”. In a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Robyn Thorson, Tribal Chairperson Charlotte Rodrique asked for greater protection for cultural resources at the refuge, specifically asking for an inventory of archeological resources at the refuge headquarters, and for criminal prosecution for violators of the Archeological Resources Protection Act.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is grateful for the quick actions from law enforcement”, said USFWS spokeswoman Megan Nagel.
LaVoy Finicum, a spokesman for the group, said he expects to reschedule the meeting for Monday night, although plans have not been finalized.
The chair of a local Native American tribe called on federal officials to remove the occupiers.
In a Facebook message to supporters of the mine operators, Medenbach said he expected to go to jail for his belief that BLM – and the federal government – had no jurisdiction over the mine property.
Ryan Bundy has said the group isn’t interested in the artifacts, but it wants the refuge land opened to ranchers and loggers. Kenneth Medenbach is the first of the protesters to be arrested.
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Meanwhile, nobody is too sure how it will end.
