Hello Friends,

The news from Malheur National Wildlife Refuge continues to sicken and outrage us. Delusional Ammon Bundy and militia thugs seized the Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters two weeks ago. The situation, inexplicably, has been allowed by the federal government to spiral further and further out of control.



The militants real intentions have been made crystal clear. The Oregonian reports that they want all federal lands privatized so ranchers can continue ranching, loggers can continue logging, and miners can continue mining. Lavoy Finicum states in a ktvz interview: “The federal government shall never have access to these buildings again. It’s about the one. As long as there is one rancher that says to me ‘Lavoy, don’t go’, here I am. This is a castle and we’ve taken the fortress and we are here to hold it.” Essentially they want all public lands destroyed for their profit, decimating the last functioning living communities by forcefully excluding the majority of the public from any decisions made about the future of these lands.

While authorities turn a blind eye with their ridiculous strategy of "waiting them out", the Bundy's and their crew are doing real damage to fragile refuge land by ripping out fences meant to protect the land from the damaging effects of cattle grazing. In addition, they are blazing new roads onto the refuge actively destroying wildlife habitat. USFWS, emerging from a cone of silence in the past couple of days, called out the "disgusting, ghoulish behavior." The FBI is doing absolutely nothing to stop the destruction but they are ensuring that their power stays on, that they have access to government vehicles and that they can rip out fences, build roads, go to town freely for fine dining and leave the "fortress" to see family and visit radio stations for interviews. Commenters are starting to question whether the religious affiliation of the FBI director from Portland plays into this inaction.

In addition to this blatant disregard for the majority of American's that are actually paying for this land and the Bundy's "grazing rights," a coyote derby is occurring this weekend in Burns next to the refuge. As a warning relays in The Bulletin, "Don't be alarmed..as the racket will be coming from hunters shooting at coyotes." WLD has effectively exposed these predator derbies in Salmon, Idaho, which have since been discontinued. The rampant disrespect for land and life continues unabated from the ranchers and those that support them.



The following slide show presents the majestic beauty of the Steens Mountain, where the life giving waters of the Malheur Refuge originate. Now more than ever, is very important that we all stand together and defend this land and keep it from the destruction of the greedy few who believe that the only value to land is the profit that can be squeezed out of it by destroying wildlife habitat.



WLD believes that the debacle at Burns is a result of the long-standing failure of federal agencies to effectively control livestock grazing on public lands and stand up to bullying welfare ranchers. We are on the frontlines, exposing the powerful cattle interests in Harney County and the high desert that the media has ignored as Katie Fite has illustrated in this Counterpunch article. Agencies and policies have long been "captured” by the ranching mythology. Now, public lands have been taken. Ranchers are the public face of the Land Seizure and privatization movement.



We urge friends of public lands and wildlife everywhere to write and call Congress, comment on news articles, write letters to editors, and communicate on social media about the need to wrest the militants power from Malheur, before matters worsen. Only strong public opposition and action will stop the possible land grab of our public lands for the few ranching and mining interests that want to destroy these fragile habitats that hold our world in place for profit.



Thank you for your ongoing support of WildLands and Wildlife!



Natalie Ertz, Executive Director

Brian Ertz, Board President

Katie Fite, Board Secretary

Deanna Meyer, Board Director

Linda Van Nostrand, Board Director

Dave Hayes, Board Director