Armed group not ready to end wildlife refuge occupation

BURNS, Ore. – The leader of an armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge to protest federal land management policies said Friday he and his followers are not ready to leave even though the sheriff and many locals say the group has overstayed their welcome.

“How long will this go on?” said Ammon Bundy, leader of the group that seized the headquarters of the refuge in southeastern Oregon last Saturday. “We say to you, ‘not a minute too early.’”

Bundy met a day earlier with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, who asked Bundy to heed the will of locals and leave the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ward also offered to escort Bundy and his group out of the refuge to ensure safe passage.

“We will take that offer,” Bundy said on Friday. “But not yet.”

A few hours later Ward said via Twitter that because of Bundy’s stance he was calling off plans to have another meeting with him.

“During this morning’s press conference, the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear that they have no intention of honoring the sheriff’s request to leave. Because of that, there are no planned meetings or calls at this time,” Ward said.

Bundy’s group – calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom – comes from as far away as Arizona and Michigan.

Bundy’s protest at the refuge is a continuation of long-running arguments that federal policies for management of public lands in the West are harming ranchers and other locals. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who in 2014 was at the center of a tense standoff with federal officials over grazing rights.

Ammon Bundy has been demanding that federal land in Oregon’s Harney County be turned over to local residents to be managed.

Bundy initially came to Burns to rally support for two local ranchers who were sentenced to prison on arson charges. The ranchers – Dwight Hammond and his son Steven Hammond – distanced themselves from Bundy’s group and reported to prison Monday.