It's costing taxpayers $4 million to clean up after the militia that took over the Oregon wildlife refuge
BURNS, Ore. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will spend roughly $4 million to clean, repair and upgrade the Oregon wildlife refuge that was the site of a 41-day armed occupation by ranchers earlier this year.
Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe said he wants the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns to become a symbol to the rest of the country that collaboration, not confrontation, endures, The Oregonian reported. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made similar statements during her visit to the refuge earlier this week.
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Photos of the refuge shared by federal officials show that the ranchers left a mess inside the building. Clothes were left scattered about in one room, chairs had been knocked over in another, and occupiers had smashed large holes in the walls. Officials also found alcohol bottles strewn about, including a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey hidden between couch cushions.
Shortly after the January standoff began, protest leaders insisted that they were cleaning up the public space and were not damaging property. That changed as their numbers grew, causing the damage to become significant and costly, The Guardian reported.
Occupier Shawna Cox told the Guardian that causing damage was out of character.
“Everyone was out there fixing and cleaning,” she told The Guardian. “I can’t imagine them [damaging property]. They’re not that type of people.
Over the course of their occupation, the militia members turned into a bit of a national punch line. When Ammon Bundy, who led the anti-government occupation, made calls for supplies, Cards Against Humanity co-founder Max Temkin sent the militia a 55-gallon drum of personal lubricant. This was after Jon Ritzheimer, an anti-muslim activist camped at the bird sanctuary, wrote a Facebook post asking for people to stop sending in dildos.
But it wasn't a funny situation for Fish and Wildlife employees or law enforcement – and it won’t be a cheap one, either.
The compound is undergoing a deep spring cleaning, with the use of industrial vacuums and cargo trailers filled with cleaning supplies. Repairing damage and removing debris is expected to take until early summer. Until then, visitors have access to the rest of the 187,700-acre bird sanctuary.
In all, the standoff will cost Fish and Wildlife about $6 million, with about $2 million spent during the takeover, including the costs of moving the refuge's 17 employees out of town for safety to live at government expense in hotels for weeks, Ashe said.
Local leaders and the agency have expressed concern that another takeover could wind up costing millions and have been on high alert, The Oregonian reported.
Federal employees who have returned to the refuge are still reeling from the standoff, although they appear are eager to return to work.
“It brings out some emotions and some anger,” said Jason Holm, assistant regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, in a statement to The Guardian. “They are thrilled to be back. These are people who generally don’t become biologists to be in the public sphere. They love creatures and places and are passionate about doing their jobs.”
Additional reporting by Gillian Edevane.
