Armed Stand-Off Land In Oregon Was Once Promised To Tribal Nation
The lands in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon that were recently occupied by an armed group angry regarding federal land use policy were originally promised by the U.S. to the Burns Paiute Tribe for a reservation. The reservation never materialized however, as the federal government shifted course and declared the area a nature preserve. The site is currently in dispute as local (non-Native) ranchers claim land and water use rights, and some have set up an armed camp in the Wildlife Refuge to assert their positions.