Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell is warning staff to be on guard and remain “vigilant” after a grand jury acquitted a group of men and women for staging an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon earlier in the year.
“The armed occupation in Oregon was and continues to be a reminder that employees in all offices should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to your supervisor and, where appropriate, law enforcement officials,” Jewell wrote in an internal memo sent to agency staff on Friday.
The jury on Thursday found the two leaders of the occupation, brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, along with five of their friends, not guilty of federal conspiracy charges. The Bundy brothers had led a six-week occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, after which they were charged for conspiring against the U.S. government.
Jewell she is “profoundly disappointed” in the outcome of the Portland court and “concerned about its potential implications for our employees and for the effective management of public lands.”
Since the Bundy occupation, Interior officials and employees have often been targeted for abuse and threats at refuges and other facilities in western states.
Many landowners and ranchers have issues with the federal government’s management and regulation of lands in the West, where they believe federal agencies have encroached on private lands and their ability to make a living.
The Bundy brothers arrived at the refuge to protest the incarceration of two ranchers on arson charges. Defense attorneys had argued that they were practicing their right to protest under the First Amendment, and had no intention of stopping federal employees from doing the work of the Interior Department.
