Where some see a ‘rural neighborhood watch’ that saves money, others worry about liability and ties to extremism.
Ammon Bundy
Posted inArticles
Western voters favor public lands
Trumpism and extremism didn’t fly during the 2022 midterms.
Posted inNovember 1, 2022: The Futures of Conservation
How to prevent an anti-government revolution
In eastern Oregon, one strategy has proven effective at inoculating communities against extremist ideology.
Posted inArticles
On the Klamath River, agricultural interests are pitted against the needs of tribes and endangered species
Due to severe drought, irrigation allotments were decreased to lowest amounts in history.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
The Washington, D.C., siege has Western roots and consequences
History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency.
Posted inArticles
Groups sue over acting BLM director’s appointment
William Perry Pendley has long opposed public lands and wildlife protections but is tasked with overseeing them.
Posted inArticles
How Mormon history helps explain today’s public-land fights
Betsy Gaines Quammen’s new book looks at the Bundy family and religion’s connection to the Western landscape.
Posted inMarch 1, 2020: Predator (Mis)perceptions
The residual power of Ammon Bundy
What’s it like when the West’s most notorious anti-government figure comes to your town?
Posted inArticles
Washington Rep. Matt Shea engaged in ‘domestic terrorism,’ helped plan Malheur standoff, investigation finds
A report says the Spokane Valley Republican aided three armed conflicts against the U.S. government.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Fire-starting ranchers get a new blessing from BLM
The agency hopes the Hammonds’ cows will reduce fire risk in eastern Oregon.
Posted inArticles
Anti-public lands and anti-Native groups converge in Montana
At a property rights conference, prominent critics of tribal sovereignty and federal land management found common ground.
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With a pardon, Trump perpetuates Bundy standoff
Clemency for Oregon ranchers convicted of arson fans anti-federal flames.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
After Malheur, side effects of the Bundys’ extremism linger
But in Harney County, Oregon, collaboration around public lands grows.
Posted inApril 30, 2018: Celebrity Scofflaw
How the feds helped make Cliven Bundy a celebrity
The creation of an anti-public-lands hero.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
At a range rights gathering, the press was in the crosshairs
In the era of social media, far-right activists aim to subvert mainstream journalists.
Posted inArticles
Acquitted, convicted, fined or free: after the Oregon standoff
Two years after the armed takeover of a wildlife refuge, consequences vary widely.
Posted inArticles
A rancher’s claim to tribal land
Cliven Bundy refuses to pay grazing fees on federal land taken at great cost to the Southern Paiutes.
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
Cliven Bundy walks for involvement in 2014 standoff
Judge dismisses case for ‘flagrant misconduct’ after prosecutors and FBI withheld evidence.
Posted inArticles
Will Trump put a ‘hired gun’ for ranchers in top BLM post?
The president is considering a BLM director who has continually fought the agency.
Posted inArticles
Cliven Bundy case ruled a mistrial
The ruling represents an unprecedented failure for federal prosecutors on Western lands issues.