BURNS, Ore. (AP) — Ammon Bundy and six others arrested for occupying a national wildlife refuge in Oregon had their initial court appearances Wednesday. A judge ordered them to remain in jail until at least Friday as authorities and Bundy himself worked to convince the few remaining people at the remote refuge to stand down.

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Q. What’s going on at the refuge?

A. Federal and state law enforcement authorities have blocked the roads leading to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and said they made three additional arrests Wednesday afternoon and evening at those checkpoints after the men reportedly turned themselves in to agents. One of the armed protesters at the refuge, however, was uploading videos and livestreaming footage on his YouTube channel, “DefendYourBase.” Videos showed a member of the group using an excavator to dig a large hole or trench and later appeared to show people near a campfire at night. Some protesters left the refuge but it was believed perhaps a half-dozen remained late Wednesday.

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Q. What is group leader Ammon Bundy saying?

A. Mike Arnold, Bundy’s attorney, read a statement after his client’s initial court appearance Wednesday in which Bundy urged those still at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to leave. Bundy asked the federal government to allow the people remaining at the refuge to depart without being prosecuted. Addressing those still holding out, Bundy’s statement said: “Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is now in the courts. Please go home.”

———

Q. What’s next for those arrested?

A. So far, eleven people have been arrested, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy. They all face the same charge — conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force. However, charges could be added or dropped depending on the results of the FBI investigation, which is still underway. At Wednesday’s initial court appearance for seven of the suspects in Portland, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said they are a danger to the community and, with no ties to Oregon, flight risks. Beckerman set a detention hearing for Friday, giving the defendants a chance to argue for their release pending trial.

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Q. What about the person who was killed?

A. LaVoy Finicum, a 55-year-old rancher from Cane Beds, Arizona, died Tuesday after law enforcement officers initiated the stop near the refuge. It’s unclear what happened in the moments before his death. Authorities said shots were fired but have declined to say how many, or if Finicum or any of the other activists exchanged gunfire with officers. Finicum vowed a few weeks ago that he would die before spending his life behind bars. He was a prominent voice of the group that took over the southeast Oregon refuge Jan. 2 to protest federal land restrictions. His affable but passionate demeanor made him a popular subject for on-camera interviews.

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — Three members of an armed group occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge surrendered to authorities, officials said, hours after their jailed leader urged the remaining occupiers to go home.

The three arrests Wednesday came a day after the arrests of leader Ammon Bundy and seven others and the death of another occupier in a confrontation with law enforcement.

The group, which has included people from as far away as Arizona and Michigan, seized the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2. They want federal lands turned over to local authorities.

The FBI and Oregon State Police said that 45-year-old Duane Leo Ehmer of Irrigon, Oregon, and 34-year-old Dylan Wade Anderson of Provo, Utah, turned themselves in around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. And 43-year-old Jason S. Patrick of Bonaire, Georgia, did the same a few hours later.

After Bundy made his first court appearance in Portland on Wednesday, his attorney, Mike Arnold, read this statement from his client: “Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is now in the courts.”

It was unclear whether the rest of Bundy’s followers still holed up at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns were ready to heed his advice. It was believed perhaps a half-dozen remained late Wednesday.

Meanwhile, details began to emerge about the confrontation Tuesday on a remote highway that resulted in the death of Robert Finicum.

Bundy followers gave conflicting accounts of how Finicum died. One said Finicum charged at FBI agents, who then shot him. A member of the Bundy family said Finicum did nothing to provoke the agents.

An Oregon man who says he witnessed the shootout says he heard about a half-dozen shots but didn’t see anyone get hit, and that the shooting happened quickly — over maybe 12 or 15 seconds. Raymond Doherty told Portland TV station KOIN-TV that he was about 100 feet back and couldn’t see who specifically was shooting. But, he added, “I saw them shooting at each other.”

Authorities refused to release any details about the encounter or even to verify that it was Finicum who was killed.

FBI agent Greg Bretzing defended the FBI-led operation. “I will say that the armed occupiers were given ample opportunities to leave peacefully,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, a federal judge in Portland unsealed a criminal complaint that said the armed group had explosives and night-vision goggles and that they were prepared to fight at the refuge or in the nearby town of Burns.

Someone told authorities about the equipment on Jan. 2, the day the group took over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, according to the document.

Bundy and the seven others are charged with felony counts of “conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats.”

The criminal complaint says the refuge’s 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence.

Federal law officials and Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward held a news conference on Wednesday in which they called on the rest of the occupiers to go home. There is a huge law enforcement presence in the region, and the FBI has now set up checkpoints outside the refuge.

Bundy followers took to social media to offer conflicting accounts of Finicum’s final moments.

In a video posted to Facebook, Mark McConnell said he was driving a vehicle carrying Ammon Bundy when he and a truck driven by Finicum were stopped by agents in heavy-duty trucks.

When agents approached the truck driven by Finicum, he drove off with officers in pursuit. McConnell said he did not see what happened next, but he heard from others who were in that vehicle that they encountered a roadblock.

The truck got stuck in a snowbank, and Finicum got out and “charged them. He went after them,” McConnell said.

Relatives of Ammon Bundy offered similar accounts, but they said Finicum did nothing to provoke FBI agents.

Briana Bundy, a sister of Ammon Bundy, said he called his wife after his arrest.

She said people in the two vehicles complied with instructions to get out with their hands up.

“LaVoy shouted, ‘Don’t shoot. We’re unarmed,”’ Briana Bundy told The Associated Press. “They began to fire on them. Ammon said it happened real fast.”

“Ammon said, ‘They murdered him in cold blood,”’ she added.

McConnell had a different perspective.

“Any time someone takes off with a vehicle away from law enforcement after they’ve exercised a stop, it’s typically considered an act of aggression, and foolish,” he said in the Facebook video.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy are the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights.

The group they led came to the frozen high desert of eastern Oregon to decry what it calls onerous federal land restrictions and to object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

In nearby Burns, 80-year-old Bev Schaff said the occupation has “split this town.”

“Some people are for it and some against it. But I think everyone is ready for it to be over,” Schaff said.

The showdown between federal agents and armed militants in Southeast Oregon will likely further polarize the public over the management of federal lands, experts say.

For some, the recent killing of an armed protester and arrests of several others will buttress the view they were extremist militants with unrealistic goals.

For others, the government’s actions and its siege of remaining protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will confirm fears of persecution by federal agencies.

Whether the standoff will ultimately lead to changes in the federal government’s oversight of the West’s vast public lands is also subject to varying interpretations.

Char Miller, an environmental analysis professor at Pomona College, said that Ammon Bundy and the other armed protesters miscalculated the public’s reaction to the occupation.

The national attention may have boosted the protester’s egos, but it also created a backlash against using the threat of violence to influence federal land policy, Miller said.

“What they’ve done is really hurt those with legitimate beefs with the federal government about how the land should be managed,” he said.

In the public’s mind, the protesters’ hostile tactics have been conflated with the goal of increasing local control over federal property, which weakens their case in the political arena, he said.

“If they wanted an uprising in Congress, they just made it that much harder,” Miller said.

The protesters’ actions won’t bolster attempts to transfer federal land to the states, which already had legitimacy among conservative lawmakers in multiple state legislatures before the refuge takeover, said Martin Nie, a natural resource policy professor at the University of Montana.

“They’re less of a spectacle and should be taken more seriously,” Nie said.

The philosophy of Bundy and his followers, meanwhile, is entangled with far-right interpretations of the U.S. Constitution and the power of county sheriffs but does not offer any serious proposals for changing federal land policy, he said.

“I don’t think this spectacle has helped that cause at all,” he said.

Among people who were uneasy about excessive federal authority, though, recent events will likely reinforce the notion that the government is out-of-control, said Mark Pollot, an attorney who is fighting federal agencies in court on behalf of deceased Nevada rancher Wayne Hage.

Left-wing protests, such as “Occupy Wall Street,” invaded private property and were more disruptive than the refuge standoff but did not elicit a similarly strong-armed reaction from the federal government, he said.

Pollot said that distrust of the government will particularly rise if there are indications that federal agents overreacted during the arrests and did not have to shoot the protesters’ spokesman, LaVoy Finicum.

If nothing else, the confrontation will show that Western land policy is more than a minor issue and deserves Congressional attention, Pollot said.

“It will add some weight to the debate,” he said.

On the other hand, there’s the risk of a shift away from the political and legal channels that critics such as Wayne Hage have traditionally used in the “Sagebrush Rebellion” against federal land policy, he said.

“I’m concerned there will be people who will now think that’s worthless,” Pollot said.

The restrictions placed on ranchers have gained visibility in Washington, D.C., Salem and Portland, but that doesn’t mean they will be changed, said Bruce Weber, director of Oregon State University’s Rural Studies Program.

It’s unclear how the existence of a perceived “martyr for the cause” will change the situation, Weber said.

“People who believe the Constitution prohibits federal ownership and management of those particular lands won’t change their minds,” he said.

Concerns about growing federal restrictions on public lands long predate the refuge occupation and will likely continue even if the current conflict is resolved.

Bob Skinner, a fifth-generation cattle rancher in the Jordan Valley area, heads a group opposed to the proposed Owyhee Canyonlands wilderness and conservation area, which would cover 2.5 million acres in Oreogn’s Malheur County.

The designation would severely regulate or prohibit grazing and other activities on an area that is bigger than Yellowstone National Park and covers 40 percent of Malheur County.

Skinner said his worst fear is that the arrests of several protesters and the death of Finicum will “activate” people who hold similar anti-government views.

Even so, the incident has brought more visibility to Western concerns over public land.

“I can’t help but think it’s brought some awareness to government over-reach, that might have some impact,” Skinner said.

Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., compared the standoff in southeast Oregon to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which arose in reaction to conflicts between law enforcement and the black community.

“Rural America faces the same lack of recognition,” Schrader said.

There’s a “palpable sense” that government policy has focused on the economic welfare of urban areas while overlooking rural areas, he said.

As to the effect of the occupation on the federal land debate, Schrader said the impact is uncertain.

While people sympathize with the hardships faced in the rural West, the occupation has also shown they have no appetite for lawlessness, he said.

Schrader said he and other members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation are pushing to reform overly restrictive rules on grazing and logging while protecting the environment on federal property.

“The scales have tipped so far to the left that you can barely do anything there, it’s so cost-prohibitive,” he said. “We’ve got to change the federal policy.”

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The latest on an armed group that took over buildings at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

The attorney for the leader of an armed group occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge says the man wants those remaining at the refuge to “please stand down” and go home.

Ammon Bundy and seven others were arrested Tuesday. Bundy made an initial appearance in federal court in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday.

Mike Arnold, Bundy’s attorney, read a statement afterward in which Bundy urged those still at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to leave.

In the statement, Bundy asked the federal government to allow the people remaining at the refuge to depart without being prosecuted. Addressing those still holding out, Bundy’s statement said: “Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is now in the courts. Please go home.”

Federal agents have surrounded the refuge where the remnants of Bundy’s group were still refusing to give up on the occupation that began Jan. 2 to protest federal land policies.

———

4:10 p.m.

An Oregon man who was on his way to California tells a Portland television station that he witnessed gunfire between authorities and militants who had been occupying a national wildlife refuge.

Raymond Doherty, of Pilot Rock, told KOIN-TV http://is.gd/AgNSdm that when he arrived at the scene on Highway 395 between Burns and John Day on Tuesday afternoon “there was a shootout going on.” He says he heard about a half-dozen shots but didn’t see anyone get hit, and that the shooting happened quickly — over maybe 12 or 15 seconds.

He said he was about 100 feet back and couldn’t see who specifically was shooting. But, he added, “I saw them shooting at each other.”

One man was killed, and several people were arrested, including militant leader Ammon Bundy.

———

3:40 p.m.

A judge has ordered Ammon Bundy and six others arrested for occupying a national wildlife refuge to remain in jail until at least Friday.

At Wednesday’s initial court appearance in Portland, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said they are a danger to the community and, with no ties to Oregon, flight risks.

Beckerman set a detention hearing for Friday, giving the defendants a chance to argue for their release pending trial.

Public defender Lisa Hay pressed for the immediate release of her client, Ryan Payne. Hay says Payne has no criminal record, and prosecutors have not alleged he did anything violent.

Prosecutor Geoff Barrow said the risk is that he returns to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to “bunker with his co-conspirators.”

The defendants said little Wednesday. The most expressive was Ryan Bundy, who looked at the press and asked “How are you guys?” when he entered the courtroom.

Security was tighter than usual at the federal courthouse in Portland. Armed guards were stationed near the entrance, and cellphones were banned from the packed courtroom.

—————

3 p.m.

A federal criminal complaint against eight people arrested for occupying a national wildlife refuge says that the armed group had explosives and night-vision goggles and was prepared to fight.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman in Portland unsealed the complaint Wednesday, which lists reasons for the arrests Tuesday night during a traffic stop that left one man dead.

The document says a source told authorities about the equipment on Jan. 2, when the group took over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It’s not clear if officials found explosives or if that’s the reason they moved to make the arrests.

The complaint says refuge employees were unable to report to work because of threats of violence from the group.

It includes photos of social media posts by the defendants during the occupation.

———

11:40 a.m.

A local sheriff got emotional as he urged the armed activists still occupying a national wildlife preserve in Oregon to move on, saying the standoff “has been tearing our community apart.”

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, who polices the region where the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located, said at a news conference Wednesday that “there doesn’t have to be bloodshed in our community.”

A traffic stop outside the refuge Tuesday night ended with eight arrests and the death of one man.

He says law enforcement worked hard to create a plan to peacefully end the occupation of more than three weeks. The group is protesting federal land policy.

Ward says the death didn’t have to happen. He called on people to work through appropriate channels to air their grievances, saying, “We don’t arm up and rebel.”

———

11:25 a.m.

Authorities say the armed group occupying the national wildlife preserve in Oregon was given “ample opportunity” to leave peacefully.

Greg Bretzing, the FBI’s Portland special agent in charge, said at a news conference Wednesday that authorities took a deliberate and measured response to those who took over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2. He says they’re working to safely remove those who are still occupying the site.

Bretzing says authorities tried to conduct a traffic stop safely and away from local residents Tuesday night, which ended with eight arrests and the death of one man.

He wouldn’t release specifics about the death, saying only that the man died as authorities tried to take him into custody.

Bretzing says the activists “have chosen to threaten and intimidate the America they profess to love.”

———

10:45 a.m.

Some witnesses say a man killed by police had charged at authorities during the arrests of armed activists occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge and others say he complied with orders.

Authorities say a man died when officers opened fire during a traffic stop Tuesday. The daughter of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum tells the Oregonian it was the Arizona rancher.

Police have not detailed what led to the shooting or if Finicum or any of the other ranchers exchanged gunfire with officers.

Mark McConnell says he drove one of the vehicles stopped by authorities and that Finicum was in another and “charged” at officers.

McConnell said in a video posted to Facebook that the rancher took off and authorities pursued.

He says he didn’t see the shooting, but others in the group said he charged after law enforcement.

A message was left Wednesday at a phone number believed to belong to McConnell.

Briana Bundy, group leader Ammon Bundy’s sister-in-law, said Finicum and others “did everything they asked, and they murdered him.”

———

7:35 a.m.

The FBI has established checkpoints around a national wildlife preserve in Oregon where some armed activists still are believed to be holed up, saying the decision came out of “an abundance of caution.”

Authorities arrested the leaders of the small group that has been occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for more than three weeks during a traffic stop where gunfire erupted and one man was killed late Tuesday.

Jason Patrick, a new leader of the occupation, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that five or six members of the group agreed to continue the standoff.

The FBI said early Wednesday that anyone leaving the refuge will have to show identification and submit to a vehicle search. Only ranchers who live in the area surrounding the preserve will be allowed to pass the checkpoints.

BURNS, Oregon (AP) — A member of an armed anti-government group who was killed in a traffic stop in Oregon vowed a few weeks ago that he would die before spending his life behind bars.

LaVoy Finicum, a 55-year-old rancher from Cane Beds, Arizona, died Tuesday after law enforcement officers initiated the stop near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Finicum was a leader of the armed group that took over the southeast Oregon refuge Jan. 2 to protest federal land restrictions and object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

He and other occupiers were heading to a community meeting in the town of John Day, about 70 miles north of Burns.

It’s unclear what happened in the moments before his death. Authorities said shots were fired but have declined to say how many, or if Finicum or any of the other activists exchanged gunfire with officers.

Eight occupiers were arrested, including group leader Ammon Bundy. On Wednesday, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said the traffic stop initiated on a stretch of road away from populated areas was a tactical decision that officials hoped would bring a peaceful end to the standoff.

Finicum was a prominent presence at the refuge and frequently talked with reporters. His affable but passionate demeanor made him a popular subject for on-camera interviews.

Finicum seemed to have made up his mind about how his role in the occupation was likely to end — with his death.

Just a few days into the occupation, he came barreling to the refuge entrance in a federal truck.

Rifle in hand, Finicum sat in the middle of the driveway, telling the reporters gathered around him that he learned there was a warrant for his arrest and he wanted to make it easy for federal agents to find him.

At the time, he said he didn’t know what the warrant charged him with, but he believed agents would try to arrest him soon.

“I don’t think it really matters. There’s enough things they could make a warrant for us, I believe,” he said.

Finicum said he had neither threatened nor harmed anyone during the occupation.

“I have grown up loving the fresh air. I love the elements. And this is where I’m going to breathe my last breath,” he said. “... I’m not going to spend my last days in a cell. This world is too beautiful to spend it in a cell.”

He then gave a message to his family: “And kids, if I don’t come, you know I love you and I’m proud of every damn one of you.”

The rancher was media-savvy and tried to popularize and monetize his political beliefs on his website, www.onecowboystandforfreedom.com. He used the site to sell his book, a 252-page paperback titled “Only by Blood and Suffering,” as well as T-shirts, bumper stickers and posters emblazoned with slogans like “Let Freedom Ring” and “Defend the Constitution Original Intent.”

He described himself as a longtime friend of Ammon Bundy’s father, Cliven Bundy, and he participated in the standoff with federal authorities over grazing fees at the elder Bundy’s Nevada ranch in 2014.

Finicum and his wife, Jeanette, raised dozens of foster children, though social workers removed the kids from the couple’s home a few days after the occupation began.

Finicum said the foster kids were the family’s main source of income.

Catholic Charities paid the family more than $115,000 in 2009 to foster children, according to tax filings. Foster parents are generally paid a small per-child amount by the government. It’s intended to reimburse them for the costs incurred in fostering. The money sometimes is disbursed through nonprofit partners.

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon nature preserve being occupied by an armed anti-government group was surrounded by law-enforcement agents Wednesday, a day after one of the occupiers was killed by officers during a traffic stop and eight others, including group leader Ammon Bundy, were arrested.

The confrontation came amid increasing calls for authorities to take action against Bundy for the illegal occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which was seized by the group on Jan. 2 in a bid to force the government to turn federal lands over to local officials.

The traffic stop was supposed to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation but ended badly, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said, expressing disappointment.

“Multiple law enforcement agencies put a lot of work putting together the best tactical plan they could to take these guys down peacefully,” Ward said at a news conference Wednesday.

The death didn’t have to happen, he said.

Details of the fatal encounter were sparse. It occurred as Bundy and his followers were heading to a community meeting late Tuesday afternoon in the town of John Day, about 70 miles north of Burns.

Arianna Finicum Brown confirmed that her father, Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, was the man killed, the Oregonian reported. The 55-year-old was a frequent and public presence at the refuge, often speaking for the group at news conferences.

It was unclear what led to the shooting, or if Finicum or any of the other ranchers exchanged gunfire with officers. Authorities would not say how many shots were fired.

“This is where I’m going to breathe my last breath, whether I’m 90, 95 or 55,” Finicum told The Associated Press on Jan. 5. “ ... I’m going to not spend my days in a cell.”

The FBI and Oregon State Police would say only that the dead man was wanted by federal authorities. They said no more specifics would be released pending formal identification by the medical examiner.

Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge for the FBI in Oregon, said authorities took a deliberate and measured response to the occupiers and tried to conduct the traffic stop safely and away from local residents.

The armed activists were given ample opportunity to leave the refuge peacefully and have their grievances heard through legal means, he said.

“They chose, instead, to threaten the very America they profess to love, with violence, intimidation and criminal acts,” Bretzing said.

He and the sheriff urged the remaining group members to leave.

“This has been tearing our community apart. It’s time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on,” Ward said. “There doesn’t have to be bloodshed in our community.”

Jason Patrick, one of the leaders of the occupation, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that five or six group members remained inside the refuge.

For weeks, law-enforcement vehicles have been noticeably absent from the roads around the refuge. On Wednesday, however, marked law-enforcement cars were parked throughout the region. The FBI and state police said they were setting up checkpoints and only allowing ranchers who own property in specific areas to pass.

“If the people on the refuge want to leave, they are free to do so through the checkpoints, where they will be identified,” Bretzing said.

About 13 miles from the refuge headquarters, a sign warned drivers to turn around because a roadblock is ahead. Reporters and others who approached the vehicles blocking the road were met by FBI agents wearing camouflage body armor and helmets and carrying assault rifles. A spike strip, designed to puncture tires, was laid across the pavement just beyond the roadblock.

Police and news media have converged on the nearby town of Burns, where most hotels are booked to capacity.

Brand Thornton, one of Bundy’s supporters, said he left the refuge Monday and was not sure what those remaining would do.

“The entire leadership is gone,” he told the AP in a telephone interview. “I wouldn’t blame any of them for leaving.”

Thornton called the arrests “a dirty trick” by law enforcement.

In addition to Ammon Bundy, those arrested were: his brother Ryan Bundy, 43; Brian Cavalier, 44; Shawna Cox, 59; and Ryan Payne, 32 - apprehended during the traffic stop on U.S. Highway 395 Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said two others — Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy, 45, and Peter Santilli, 50 — were arrested separately in Burns, while FBI agents in Arizona arrested another, Jon Eric Ritzheimer, 32.

Each will face a federal felony charge of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats, authorities said.

Law enforcement previously had taken a hands-off approach, reflecting lessons learned during bloody standoffs at Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, during the 1990s.

Many residents of Harney County, where the refuge is located, have been among those demanding that Bundy leave. Many sympathize with his criticism of federal land management policies but opposed the refuge takeover.

“I am pleased that the FBI has listened to the concerns of the local community and responded to the illegal activity occurring in Harney County by outside extremists,” Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a statement.

The Bundys are the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights.

The group, which has included people from as far away as Michigan, calls itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. It came to the frozen high desert of eastern Oregon to decry what it calls onerous federal land restrictions and to object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

———

Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, Gene Johnson and Lisa Baumann in Seattle and Terrence Petty and Kristena Hansen in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

The law enforcement partners involved in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge held a press conference this morning. Below is the replay of that conference courtesy of KGW.

Here is the Blue Mountain Eagle's audio recording from last night's community meeting at the John Day Senior Center in its entirety.

 

The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge may have been broken, but a divisive wilderness proposal remains unresolved in Southeast Oregon.

The underlying issues are familiar: Anger over federal land management and government “over-reach,” and frustration over loss of economic opportunity in the rural West.

The Bend-based environmental group Oregon Natural Desert Association, backed by the Keen Footwear company of Portland, has proposed a 2.5 million acre Owyhee Canyonlands wilderness and conservation area.

Ranchers and other Malheur County residents are dead set against it. “Not only no, but hell no,” prominent rancher Bob Skinner said.

The Obama administration, which could establish the canyonlands area by presidential proclamation, has given no sign what it will do. Many people speculate the administration did not want to throw gas on the fire while the wildlife refuge occupation was going on.

“We don’t know where it is in the process, there’s nobody who knows that,” Skinner said.

The proposed area is bigger than either the Yellowstone, Yosemite or Grand Canyon national parks, critics point out, and would cover 40 percent of Malheur County. Residents believe designation would be accompanied by restrictions and regulations that would prohibit or severely complicate grazing, mining, hunting and recreation.

While proponents say traditional uses of the land will be allowed, a local group called Citizens in Opposition to the Owyhee Canyonlands Monument does not believe them.

Skinner, a fifth-generation rancher who leads the opposition group, said one faction believes ranchers and other landowners should “settle” with those pushing for establishment of the canyonlands.

But Skinner said agreements with “radical environmental groups” always turn out bad. While they say traditional land uses such as cattle grazing could continue, such assurances soon fall apart, Skinner said.

“Historically, every single solid time,” he said. “It starts collapsing on the uses. That’s historic, I can tell you.”

Skinner said his contacts among Oregon’s congressional delegation and others in Washington, D.C. indicate Obama will establish the wilderness and conservation area under the Antiquities Act, which can be done by presidential order and does not require approval of Congress.

A White House media staffer said the administration has “no announcement to make at this time” and did not respond to detailed questions.

Jessica Kershaw, senior adviser and press secretary with the Department of Interior, said in an email that the department has not made a recommendation to the White House, “but we know that this is an important issue to many, and we will carefully consider all input about how to best manage these lands for current and future generations.”

Brent Fenty, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association, did not respond to a telephone call and email seeking comment.

A press secretary for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, who represents Eastern Oregon in Congress, said Walden has repeatedly called upon the administration to say what it plans to do. Early in the wildlife refuge occupation, Walden said Obama could ease some of the tension by backing away from the canyonlands proposal.

“If they don’t plan to do it, they should just come out and say so,” press secretary Andrew Malcolm said in an email.

Skinner, the rancher, consistently distances his cause from the case made by the refuge occupiers.

“I don’t agree with the Bundys at all, period,” he said. “I don’t agree with their methods, especially with grazing issues. But nobody can help but say, ‘I can understand.’ “Greg Walden said it: You understand why people have reached the end of their rope. That’s why they’ve got followers.”

JOHN DAY, Ore. — Grant County residents filled the John Day Senior Center beyond capacity Tuesday evening for a community meeting that was supposed to feature Ammon Bundy and leaders of the armed militia group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Instead, Bundy and four other militants were arrested by the FBI on Highway 395 north of Burns before they could arrive. A sixth member of the group was shot and killed during the encounter. The news drew tears and anger from militia supporters at the meeting, who described it as an “ambush.”

Yet the gathering pressed on, evolving into a town hall with the majority of speakers siding with Bundy and venting their frustrations on the federal government. Organizer Tad Houpt, of Canyon City, promised the crowd there would be another meeting in the very near future.

“We’re not going to stop,” Houpt said. “We’re not going to take this anymore.”

Bundy and the militia leaders had been occupying the wildlife refuge near Burns since Jan. 2. They demanded the 187,757-acre bird sanctuary be returned to the county for ranching, while criticizing the federal government’s overall ownership and management of public lands.

The militia also protested the sentences of two Harney County ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were convicted of arson and given five years in prison for setting fires on federal land. Bundy and supporters have called for the Hammonds’ immediate release.

In John Day, the majority of people who approached the microphone during the town hall were supportive of Bundy and the armed protest. A smaller counter-protest was held outside the senior center, with roughly 30 people holding signs directing their ire at both the militia and Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer.

Palmer, who appeared in uniform at the beginning of the meeting, declined to speak with media. When it became clear Bundy would not arrive, Houpt told the crowd it appeared there had been an altercation somewhere between John Day and Burns. News later circulated about the arrests and gunfight.

One by one, residents came to the front of the room to speak their minds. Larry Lent, of John Day, argued the militants had every right to be in Oregon and said government overreach has been going on for a long time.

“I support the Hammonds and the Bundys 100 percent,” Lent said. “To hell with the FBI. They don’t belong here.”

Jerry Larkin, of Canyon City, said he spent a day with the militia on the refuge, describing them as “just like you and I.”

“The federal government has taken away ground that doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to the people,” Larkin said. “These people are genuinely trying to look out for these United States, just like the rest of us.”

Outside, counter-protesters held signs that read, “John Day does not support criminal action,” and “Bundy Bunch — not in Grant County.” Hans Magden, of John Day, held a sign that simply read “Impeach Palmer.”

“He’s not doing his job,” Magden said of the county sheriff. “He’s not abiding by the laws. He’s integrating his own personal beliefs ... I believe he should be removed from office.”

In particular, Magden said it was irresponsible to invite the militia to John Day. He said he believes Palmer sympathizes with their cause.

Kay Steele, who lives in Grant County near the community of Ritter, said she and her husband do nature photography on the Malheur refuge. She said they see the militia as law-breakers.

“These people do not speak for Grant County,” Steele said. “We want the world to know that Grant County people don’t support this. This is a very vocal minority.”

Back inside, militia supporters sat near the front of the room, with counter-protesters mostly in the back of the room. Jim Sproul, a fifth-generation resident of John Day, brought up the recent Canyon Creek Complex of wildfires that burned more than 100,000 acres last summer.

“That wasn’t an act of God. It was an act of negligence,” Sproul said.

Odalis Sharp, of Auburn, Kansas, got up with her children to sing songs during the meeting. She described Bundy and the militia as good people, and urged the crowd to defend their cause.

“You all are going to have to step up right now,” Sharp said. “Somebody was shot on the way here. They were coming over here to tell you the truth ... We’ll stand for you as long as we can.”

Associated Press

The FBI and Oregon State Police on Tuesday arrested the leaders of an armed group that has occupied a national wildlife refuge for the past three weeks, conducting a traffic stop that prompted gunfire — and one death — along a highway through the frozen high country.

Militant leader Ammon Bundy and his followers were reportedly heading to a community meeting at the senior center in John Day, a Grant County town about 70 miles north of Burns, to address local residents to discuss their views on federal management of public lands.

The Oregonian newspaper reported several hundred people had gathered at the John Day Senior Center on Tuesday evening and were told the “guest speakers” would not be appearing.

In a statement, the FBI and Oregon State Police said agents had made eight arrests: Bundy, 40; his brother Ryan Bundy, 43; Brian Cavalier, 44; Shawna Cox, 59; and Ryan Payne, 32, during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 395 Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said two others — Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy, 45, and Peter Santilli, 50 — were arrested separately in Burns, while FBI agents in Arizona arrested another, Jon Eric Ritzheimer, 32.

Each will face a federal felony charge of conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats, authorities said. No indictments or federal charging documents had been made public.

Oregon State Police confirmed that its troopers were involved in the traffic-stop shooting, though neither agency released details about what started it. One of those arrested, described only as a man, suffered non-life-threatening wounds and was treated at a hospital, the agencies said. Another man “who was a subject of a federal probable cause arrest” was killed, they said. The agencies said they would not release further information about the death pending identification by the medical examiner.

News reports are identifying the victim as LaVoy Finicum, an Arizona rancher and self-styled spokesman of the occupation.

Ammon Bundy’s group, which has included people from as far away as Arizona and Michigan, seized the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2 as part of a long-running dispute over public lands in the West. Law enforcement officers converged on the wildlife refuge after the arrests and were expected to remain at the site throughout the night; it was unclear how many people, if any, remained in the buildings.

The confrontation came amid increasing calls for law enforcement to take action against Bundy for the illegal occupation of the wildlife refuge. They previously had taken a hands-off approach, reflecting lessons learned during bloody standoffs at Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, during the 1990s.

Many residents of Harney County, where the refuge is located, have been among those demanding that Bundy leave. Many sympathize with his criticism of federal land management policies of public lands but opposed the refuge takeover. They feared violence could erupt.

Ammon Bundy recently had begun traveling into Grant County to try to drum up more sympathy for his cause.

“I am pleased that the FBI has listened to the concerns of the local community and responded to the illegal activity occurring in Harney County by outside extremists,” Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a written statement. “The leaders of this group are now in custody and I hope that the remaining individuals occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will peacefully surrender so this community can begin to heal the deep wounds that this illegal activity has created over the last month.”

The Bundys are the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights.

The state police said it would investigate the officer-involved shooting, with help from the Deschutes County Major Incident Team and the Harney County District Attorney’s Office.

The militants, calling themselves Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, came to the frozen high desert of eastern Oregon to decry what it calls onerous federal land restrictions and to object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

Specifically, the group wanted federal lands turned over to local authorities. The U.S. government controls about half of all land in the West.

———

Associated Press reporters Lisa Baumann in Seattle; Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho; and Terrence Petty in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown said during on Tuesday the federal government should do more to engage with people about how to manage federal lands.

Armed, mostly out-of-state protesters have occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County since Jan. 2. They have demanded that federal lands be turned over to state and county governments, and that two ranchers serving five-year prison sentences for burning Bureau of Land Management property.

While many local residents, farming and ranching groups and elected officials have criticized the occupiers’ actions, they say the underlying anger over federal land management policies and their impact on local communities throughout the West is real.

“I certainly believe that there needs to be a higher level of federal engagement around federal management of public land,” Brown said. “I do think our first priority is to end this occupation swiftly and peacefully. I think it’s extremely important that wrongdoers be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”

The governor spoke during a press briefing, where she also announced her plan to seek $3.8 million from the Legislature to pay for drought assistance targeted at Harney County.

It was not immediately clear why Brown was targeting Harney County when drought has affected much of the state for several years. In 2015, Brown issued drought declarations in 25 counties and the federal government declared a drought in the remaining 11 Oregon counties.

“It is just near coincidence, the package was in development before this incident occurred,” Brown said, referring to the occupation by armed activists of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County. Brown said her funding plan would call for a “roughly $3.8 million package, both emergency funding and staff to make sure that we are prepared for a drought this coming year and in the years to come.”

Brown said roughly $3 million would be “emergency funding” and the balance would pay for staff to assist a task force that would “prepare for drought resiliency.”

Most of the money — $3 million — would go to drought emergency assistance so the state could help municipal water systems, agricultural water users and others, according to a document from the Oregon Water Resources Department. The agency noted that Washington set aside $16 million for emergency assistance during the current biennium, while Oregon has not identified any such assistance.

The governor also wants to pay for a study of groundwater in Harney County, where state regulators mostly stopped issuing agricultural well permits in 2015 pending further study because they were worried about depleting the water.

Finally, a small portion of the funding would pay for a staffer to assist with the creation of a Drought Emergency Response and Resiliency task force to study how the state “anticipates and responds to drought,” according to the Oregon Water Resources Department.

A top Oregon labor official recently outlined how farmers can compensate piece-rate workers under new paid sick time regulations, but the Oregon Farm Bureau still hopes to change the rules.

Last year, Oregon lawmakers passed a bill requiring employers with 10 or more workers to pay for 40 hours of sick leave per year, concerning farmers who pay based on harvested crop amounts and similar piece rates rather than per-hour wages.

The Oregon Farm Bureau criticized regulations enacted by Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries for insufficiently explaining how employers should calculate the regular rate of compensation for piece rate workers who take sick time.

If a regular rate of pay can’t be established, employers can pay workers the minimum wage during paid leave.

Gerhard Taeubel, administrator of BOLI’S Wage and Hour Division, said farmers should calculate the regular rate of pay using the same method as employers who must pay overtime to piece-rate workers.

The total amount of money earned by an employee during the most recent week should be divided by the number of hours worked, Taeubel said at the recent Ag Summit conference in Salem, Ore., organized by the Dunn Carney law firm.

While it’s “helpful to know” how BOLI will interpret the piece-rate provision, the agency’s view may not be shared by workers who can file lawsuits against employers over alleged violations of the paid leave statute, said Jenny Dresler, state public policy director for the Oregon Farm Bureau.

BOLI’s explanation doesn’t account for some scenarios encountered by farmworkers who are expected to switch between tasks that pay different rates, Dresler said.

For example, a worker may be compensated at an hourly wage for pruning but then paid a piece rate for harvesting, she said.

During the upcoming legislative session, Oregon Farm Bureau will support Senate Bill 1581, which proposes to clarify and fix confusing provisions of the paid sick leave rules, Dresler said.

Under the bill, farmers would simply pay the minimum wage to piece rate workers on sick leave rather than have to calculate the regular rate of pay.

“Otherwise, you will have every group interpreting that a different way,” Dresler said.

BOLI has said it won’t take enforcement action against employers during the first year of the paid sick leave rules, and the bill would similarly stay private lawsuits over the law for a year.

The threshold for providing paid leave would also be increased from 10 to 25 employees and workers would have to wait 120 days, rather than 90, to use their sick leave. Farmers also wouldn’t be jointly liable for workers employed by labor contractors or have them counted toward the worker threshold.

When asked about the Farm Bureau’s continued concerns, Taeubel of BOLI said farmers will be expected to make a “reasonable effort” to calculate the regular rate of pay.

Taeubel acknowledged that farmers who opt to pay the minimum wage will do so at their own risk, as workers can complaint to BOLI or file a lawsuit alleging that a regular rate could be established.

Feb. 1 is the deadline for Northwest farmers who produce onions and cabbage to buy crop insurance.

According to the USDA Risk Management Agency, growers must apply for coverage for spring-planted onions in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and cabbage in Oregon and Washington before the end of January.

For the 2015 crop, roughly 93 percent of onions in Washington were insured, with comparable coverage in Idaho and Oregon, Jo Lynne Seufer of the RMA’s Spokane office said.

No cabbage was insured. Seufer said the risk may not be significant for growers who raise cabbage in Eastern Washington and the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Policyholders who wish to make changes in their coverage also have until the sales closing date.

In the meantime, the final date to apply for whole-farm revenue protection and insurance coverage on all other spring crops is March 15, except for wheat in counties with fall and spring-planted types.

According to an agency press release, RMA changed the whole-farm revenue protection to include improvements for beginning farmers and ranchers, livestock producers and producers whose operations are expanding. More beginning farmers and ranchers can participate because the agency requires three historical years and farming records from the past year.

Any beginning farmer and rancher may qualify by using a former farm operator’s federal farm tax records if they have assumed at least 90 percent of the farm operation.

Producers can now insure up to $1 million worth of animals and animal products, according to RMA. The agency also increased the cap on historical revenue for expanding operations to 35 percent so growing farms can better cover growth in the insurance guarantee.

Seufer said the agency is fielding inquiries from farmers curious about whole-farm revenue protection, wondering whether protection against down-side price risk is what they need. She encouraged farmers to speak with their crop insurance agent as soon as possible.

“The more time they have to work with their agent, the better,” she said.

Oregon’s wildlife officials begin a required review of the state’s controversial wolf management plan with three months of stakeholder meetings starting in February, followed by a revision, draft and final adoption process expected to last into October.

The process might seem like overkill for managing a wolf population that might reach 100 to 120 animals this year, but it is likely to be heated and lengthy as environmental, hunting and ranching groups have their say.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted in November 2015 to remove gray wolves from the state endangered species list. In a 4-2 vote, commissioners agreed with an ODFW staff report that said wolves have expanded in number and range to the point that they no longer need protection under the state Endangered Species Act.

A trio of environmental groups — the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild — sought a judicial review a month later, claiming the commission hadn’t used the best available science on wolf recovery. Among other things, the groups believe ODFW should have gone through the management plan review before taking any action on de-listing.

Oregon’s wolves remain covered under the federal ESA in the western two-thirds of the state. ODFW officials say the state wolf management plan remains in effect and will protect wolves from illegal hunting.

The political and legal fight over wolves took another turn recently when state Sen. Bill Hansell and state Rep. Greg Barreto, both Republicans, backed legislation that would ratify the commission’s action and make a lawsuit moot, the Associated Press reported. Hansell and Barreto plan to introduce bills when the Legislature convenes in February. The bills also would prohibit re-listing wolves as threatened or endangered unless the population falls below a certain level, the AP reported.

Oregon’s wolf population has grown from 14 in 2009 to a minimum of 85 in July 2015. Three have died since then, leaving the confirmed population at 82. State wildlife biologists believe there are more; the population count represents only documented wolves. An updated population survey will be completed in March.

In other wolf news, ODFW designated a new Wallowa County pack, the Shamrock Pack, which denned up, produced an unknown number of pups in April 2015 and carved out territory in ODFW’s Chesnimnus Unit north of Wallowa Lake.

The new pack previously was designated only a male-female pair. It operates in a wildlife unit adjacent to where the Sled Springs pair was found dead of unknown cause in late August. Oregon State Police investigated and said there was not sufficient probable cause to believe humans caused the deaths.

Another wolf, wearing a tracking collar and designated OR-22, was shot and killed in Grant County last fall. A hunter, Brennon D. Witty, notified ODFW and state police Oct. 6 that he’d shot the wolf while hunting coyotes on private property south of Prairie City.

Witty is charged with two Class A misdemeanors: Killing an endangered species and hunting with a centerfire rifle without a big game tag. Each is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine.

Witty is scheduled to enter a plea Feb. 3 in Grant County Justice Court, Canyon City.

The wolf had worn a tracking collar since October 2013 and dispersed from the Umatilla Pack in February 2015. He was in Malheur County for awhile, then traveled into Grant County. Young adult wolves typically leave the pack they were born into and strike out on their own.

Oregon’s best known wandering wolf, OR-7, left Wallowa County, traversed the state on a diagonal and ventured into California before settling into Southwest Oregon’s Cascades and starting his own pack with an unknown female.

Although Oregon wolves occupy only 12 percent of the habitat suitable to them in the state, they continue to show signs of dispersing from Northeast Oregon, where they first migrated from Idaho.

ODFW said OR-28, a female, and at least one other unknown wolf are using territory in Klamath and Lake counties. Another wolf, OR-25, traveled south into California before returning to Klamath County. It was blamed for killing and eating a calf and injuring two others in a Klamath County attack in early November.

On Jan. 19, a Union County resident reported his 6-year-old Border Collie died of injuries and asked ODFW to conduct a wolf attack investigation. Based on the size of bite wounds, ODFW determined the dog had been attacked by coyotes.

Hazelnut farmer Jeff Newton of Amity, Ore., has been honored as the Nut Grower’s Society Grower of the Year for 2015 in recognition of his innovative production practices and contributions to the industry.

Newton has equipped his newest hazelnut orchard with drip irrigation lines that can supply fertilizer to the trees, allowing him to experiment with nutrient-to-water ratios, according to the NGS.

As he seeks to replace orchards infected with Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungal pathogen, with disease-resistant varieties, Newton is also undertaking nursery production and has likely generated enough trees to plant 500 acres this year.

He has also been involved in educating farmers who are new to the hazelnut industry and has worked to improve food safety measures at receiving stations and elsewhere in the supply chain.

Hazelnut acreage is growing in Oregon as farmers plant new trees but are reluctant to remove orchards that are slowly succumbing to Eastern filbert blight.

Michael McDaniel, who operates Pacific Ag Survey and is tracking hazelnut acreage, said the high prices paid for hazelnuts in recent years has discouraged growers from replacing older varieties, such as Barcelona, with new varieties that are resistant to the fungal pathogen.

“People are doing what they can to make the Barcelona and other varieties really last,” he said. “I was surprised by how much mature acreage is still hanging on.”

In 2015, Oregon had more than 45,000 acres of hazelnuts in the ground, with about two-thirds of the orchards being 11 years or older, McDaniel said at the recent Nut Growers Society meeting in Corvallis, Ore.

Roughly 25 percent of the hazelnut acreage consisted of trees younger than five years, and another nine percent consisted of trees between five and 10 years, he said.

According to USDA’s Ag Census, Oregon had about 37,000 acres of hazelnuts in 2012, which means the acreage has grown 22 percent since then, which translates to an additional 2,700 new acres a year.

Of the new acreage, farmers have planted more than half at double-density, McDaniel said. This method speeds up the profitability of orchards but eventually requires the removal of trees.

It’s unclear how quickly orchards of Barcelona — the traditional cultivar grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley — will be replaced by new plantings of Jefferson, a popular EFB-resistant variety released in 2009 by Oregon State University, said Garry Rodakowski, chairman of the Oregon Hazelnut Commission.

However, it’s certain that the hazelnut industry will need to ramp up production to compete on the global market, he said. In the past, for example, a food manufacturer canceled plans for a cereal that prominently featured hazelnuts due to insufficient supplies of the crop.

Production was particularly problematic in 2015, when Oregon farms harvested fewer than 31,000 tons of hazelnuts even though USDA estimated a crop of 39,000 tons.

That shortfall has put the squeeze on processors, said Rodakowski. “They promised people they’d have nuts they can’t deliver now.”

In some cases, farmers are planting annual crops between the rows of new orchards to keep generating revenue on their properties before trees mature.

“Inter-cropping can significantly cushion the drain of establishing a new orchard,” said Dan Keeley, a farmer from St. Paul, Ore.

Keeley said he’s had luck growing wheat, clover and grass between rows, though he urged growers not to jeopardize the welfare of newly-planted hazelnut orchards for the benefit of shorter-term crops.

“The trees are the priority, not the intercrop,” he said.

Aside from financial incentives, inter-cropping can improve soil conditions, said Kevin Coleman of Dayton.

Coleman has planted radish to break up “hard pans” in the soil prior to putting hazelnut trees in the ground and used alfalfa and clover to enhance nitrogen levels, microbe activity and worm populations.

However, John Brentano of St. Paul offered farmers a cautionary tale about inter-cropping.

After planting hazelnut trees in an existing grass seed field, Brentano experienced tremendous damage from voles in 2015.

Voles used the grassy areas for habitat and ate tree bark, likely due to low moisture during the summer, he said.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Environmental advocates are calling on environmental managers to apply new Oregon Department of Forestry rules that expand streamside protection rules on Western Oregon’s private and commercial forestlands to southwest Oregon.

The Mail Tribune reports that the wider buffers help shade fish-bearing streams and provide other benefits to wild salmon and other stream-dwelling creatures.

The new rules were approved by the board in November and extend no-cut buffers from 20 feet to 120 feet to ensure that streams meet water-quality standards.

Rogue Riverkeeper program director Forrest English says his group has not decided how to pressure either Gov. Kate Brown or the state Environmental Quality Commission to extend the rules to the Siskiyou Mountains, but that they were improperly left out of the plan.

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The latest on an armed group that took over buildings at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon (all times local):

9:05 a.m.

The Burns Paiute Tribe is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to prevent an armed group from moving freely on and off a national wildlife refuge in Oregon.

The small group angry about federal land use policy took over the buildings at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge more than three weeks ago.

Thousands of ancient Native American artifacts and maps to where more antiquities can be found are kept inside the building. Recent videos posted to social media show members of the group going through some of the antiquities and criticizing the way the government stored the items.

Tribal chairwoman Charlotte Roderique said the government should secure the refuge and stop allowing members of the group free passage to and from the site. She said the tribe fears some of the artifacts will go missing.

AgriNorthwest, a farm operator based in the Tri-Cities, has entered into an agreement to buy the Boardman Tree Farm from GreenWood Resources.

Part of the 25,000-acre tree farm already sold to a local dairy that will raise approximately 8,000 cows south of Homestead Lane. The rest will now go to AgriNorthwest, which farms mostly potatoes and other irrigated crops.

The deal is expected to close soon. Terms were not disclosed.

In the meantime, GreenWood Resources will continue to harvest what trees are left under a leaseback agreement. The Collins Companies operates a sawmill at the tree farm, and Columbia Forest Products runs a veneer mill that helps make decorative plywood.

Logs are also sold for pulp and biofuel. ZeaChem, a company located at the nearby Port of Morrow, used sawdust from the tree farm to make ethanol.

The tree farm has also hosted “A Very Poplar Run” since 2011, with 5K and 10K races to benefit the Agape House in Hermiston. Don Rice, director of North American operations for GreenWood Resources, said the decision to sell the property has been met with mixed emotions.

“It has become a community feature,” Rice said. “We have a lot of photographers who come out, especially in the fall, to take pictures.”

The Boardman Tree Farm spans six miles along Interstate 84, and another 13 miles south of the highway. It includes roughly 6 million hybrid poplar trees that can grow to more than 100 feet tall. The trees are harvested in 12-year cycles.

It could take years to finish milling all the remaining trees, Rice said, depending on the market conditions. He is hopeful GreenWood Resources can continue to provide trees from its other locations to keep the local sawmill and veneer mill operating. Together, those businesses employ about 100 people.

The tree farm itself has 20 employees, along with another 50-60 contractors. Rice said they were not actively marketing the property, but AgriNorthwest approached them about acquiring the land.

“We believe they made a fair offer,” he said.

Prior to becoming a tree farm, the area was used for agriculture. The trees came in 1990, and GreenWood Resources bought the property in 2007. But Rice said they won’t be planting again in spring.

“Things change over time,” he said. “This will continue to be a valuable asset to the community and economy.”

Todd Jones, president of AgriNorthwest, said the company has been farming in the Columbia Basin for more than 50 years and is looking forward to adding the Boardman property to its operations.

In December, GreenWood announced it sold roughly one-third of the tree farm — 7,288 acres — to Willow Creek Dairy, which was established in 2002 on land leased by Threemile Canyon Farms located on the other side of the Boardman Bombing Range. That sale closed for $65 million.

The dairy will now be located along the southern boundary of the tree farm, near the Finley Buttes Landfill. AgriNorthwest’s fields will be located more closely to the highway, which marks the property’s northern boundary.

SALEM — Sara Pierson of St. Paul was chosen the 2016 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador at the 57th annual coronation banquet Jan. 23 in Salem.

Gina Atsma of Amity was chosen first alternate.

Both of their families have been in the dairy business five generations.

Passing the crowns to their successors were the 2015 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador, Emma Miller, and last year’s first alternate, Megan Sprute.

Pierson, 20, is the daughter of Steve and Susan Pierson, owners of Sar-Ben Farms of St. Paul. She and her two brothers represent the youngest of three generations actively working the family’s 165-acre, 350-cow organic dairy, along with their parents and grandfather, Marlin. She represented Marion County in this year’s ODPA program.

Her jobs at the dairy still include chores such as moving the cows among different pastures and moving irrigation pipe.

Atsma, 19, represented Polk County, and was raised on her family’s dairy farm, Atsma Dairy of Amity, and still works there between college studies and other activities.

In their speeches, both Pierson and Atsma celebrated their families’ long histories in the dairy industry.

Pierson spoke about her family’s dairy history and her part in it under the theme of “Where I Come From.”

Atsma likewise spoke of the longevity of the Atsma Dairy with a theme of “Cows Come First In Our Family.”

Pierson and Atsma were chosen over a field that included four other young women: Olivia Miller of Independence, representing Linn and Benton counties; Chelsey McFalls of McMinnville, representing Yamhill County; Stephanie Breazile of Cornelius, representing Washington County; and Lucy Kyle-Milward of St. Helens, representing Columbia County.

Pierson is a 2014 graduate of St. Paul High School and currently is a sophomore studying agricultural business management at Oregon State University with the hopes of beginning a career in marketing or business with an agricultural cooperative.

“I’m super excited,” she said after her crowning, “but I’m still sort of in disbelief. I worked really, really hard for this and banked a lot of hours with my adviser to get here. It’s kind of a nerve-wracking event, but I was really ready and my nerves subsided.”

Among Pierson’s first duties as the 2016 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador will be to make an appearance during Dairy Day at the state Capitol in Salem on Feb. 8. She said she would probably take a break from spring term classes at OSU to deal with the crush of events — nearly 110 through the year — that will greet her beginning this April.

Those events include elementary school presentations, public appearances and giving speeches in front of civic and community organizations. According to ODPA State Director Jessica Kliewer, the program last year reached more than 15,000 students.

In another unusual happening at the coronation event, Pierson was also voted the congeniality award. She becomes only the third contestant in the last 42 years to win both honors.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Residents of Southern Oregon stocked up on singed antiques as part of a fundraiser to rebuild a historic grist mill that burned in a holiday fire.

The Mail Tribune in Medford reports that scores of people attended a tent fundraiser Saturday to support rebuilding efforts for the Butte Creek Mill.

The landmark water-powered Butte Creek Mill was deemed a total loss after the Christmas morning fire.

Owner Bob Russell says there are steps to take before rebuilding, such as seeing what pieces of the mill are structurally sound. He says he plans to have his rebuilding plan outlined in May.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.