Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Part of the Sagebrush Rebellion
The headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (pictured here in 2008) were occupied by armed militants in early 2016.
Date	January 2, 2016 (2016-01-02) – February 11, 2016 (2016-02-11) (7001400000000000000♠40 days)
Location	Harney County, Oregon, United States (30 mi (48 km) south of Burns, Oregon) 43°15′55″N 118°50′39″W / 43.265404°N 118.844272°W / 43.265404; -118.844272Coordinates: 43°15′55″N 118°50′39″W / 43.265404°N 118.844272°W / 43.265404; -118.844272
Caused by	Perception that the federal government lacks the constitutional authority to exclusively own and manage public lands in U.S. states Leader's belief to be under the direction of a divine message
Goals	Short-term: Disrupt the work of federal employees at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Release of Dwight and Steven Hammond from custody and the establishment of an "independent evidentiary hearing board" by state and county representatives to re-examine the Hammonds' case Long-term: Transfer of federal lands to private ownership or to state, county, or local government control
Methods	Armed occupation of federal property; claim adverse possession of the "land, property and vacant buildings" Convene a "citizens grand jury" Encourage the formation of a "committee of safety" Petition Public meetings Rallies and marches Social media and press conferences
Result	26 militants were all indicted and arrested for federal felony conspiracy offenses and some other individual charges. A 27th militant was indicted and arrested for theft of federal property, but not for conspiracy. Twelve pleaded guilty. Seven were acquitted by a federal jury on October 27, 2016. One militant was killed while resisting arrest and one militant was wounded before being arrested.
Parties to the civil conflict
United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Governor of Oregon Oregon State Police (OSP) Grant County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) Harney County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Burns Paiute Tribe Burns Paiute Tribal Police Anti-government militants Pro-occupation: Citizens for Constitutional Freedom Anti-occupation: Pacific Patriots Network (PPN) 3 Percenters of Idaho
Lead figures
Gregory T. Bretzing (FBI Special Agent in Charge) Kate Brown (Oregon Governor) Steven E. Grasty (Harney County Judge) David M. Ward (Harney County Sheriff) Ammon Bundy Ryan Bundy Brian Cavalier Blaine Cooper Robert LaVoy Finicum Ryan Payne Jon Ritzheimer
Number
FBI – unknown Oregon State Police – unknown ~37 local police 40 (Los Angeles Times estimate) Several dozen (The Washington Post estimate) 20 to 25 (The Oregonian estimate)
Casualties
Death(s)	Robert LaVoy Finicum
Injuries	Ryan Bundy
Arrested	27
Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Location in Oregon Show map of the US

40 (Los Angeles Times estimate)
Several dozen (The Washington Post estimate)

On January 2, 2016, armed militants seized the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, United States, and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February 11, 2016. Their leader was Ammon Bundy, who participated in the 2014 Bundy standoff at his father's Nevada ranch. Other members of the group were loosely affiliated with non-governmental militias and the sovereign citizen movement.

The organizers were seeking an opportunity to advance their view that the United States Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and other agencies are constitutionally required to turn over most of the federal public land they manage to the individual states. In 2015, the militants believed they could do this by protesting the treatment of two area ranchers convicted of federal land arson, even though the men in question did not want their help. The occupation began when Bundy led an armed party to the refuge headquarters following a peaceful public rally in the nearby city of Burns.

By February 11, all of the militants had surrendered or withdrawn from the occupation, with several leaders having been arrested after leaving the site and one of them, who was armed, shot to death during an attempt to arrest him after he tried to evade a roadblock. More than two dozen of the militants were charged with federal offenses including conspiracy to obstruct federal officers, firearms violations, theft, and depredation of federal property. Many pleaded guilty and others, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy, were tried and acquitted of all federal charges.