SALEM — Sparks flew Monday during a hearing attended by ranchers and environmentalists in the state Capitol on a proposal to turn 2.5 million acres of canyonlands and desert in southeastern Oregon into a federally protected monument.
Cattlemen said their livelihoods could be threatened.
Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe told a panel of state lawmakers that he was worried armed outsiders would exploit the situation, with families in the remote area having been involved in cattle business for generations and being suspicious of the federal government and what restrictions it might impose. Continue reading “Another Oregon standoff? Sheriff warns lawmakers over Owyhee Canyonlands plan”