Land managers getting Oregon wildlife refuge ready to open again
By The Associated Press
POSTED: 02/13/16, 1:57 PM EST | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
BURNS, Ore. ... snow is melting and filling the untended irrigation canals at the refuge. Tourist groups are beginning to plan summer trips. Local business owners are wondering what their normally busy summer season will look like. Residents are wondering if the deep divisions in the community created by the 41-day standoff will leave lasting scars ...
One National Audubon Society group from Portland has already contacted the business to make a dinner reservation for their annual trip, which left Gainer feeling relieved. “That was one of the best emails I think I’ve ever had,” she said ...
Larry Karl, the assistant special agent in charge for the FBI in Portland, said it will take several weeks for officials to collect evidence and clear the crime scene. Then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be tasked with cleaning up the site, including garbage or debris left by the people who occupied the refuge during the standoff. Because dirt was moved — potentially damaging prehistoric archaeological sites — and thousands of artifacts are stored at the refuge, archaeologists and members of the Burns Paiute Tribe will have to spend time making sure nothing is missing or damaged and repairing any problems ...
“There are some water-control issues that are pretty imminent,” said Jason Holms, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The refuge is artificially irrigated by runoff from the Steens Mountains, and they had a greater than average snowpack this year. There’s 200 miles of irrigation canals within the refuge, and a series of dams and water-control measures” ...
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20160213/land-managers-getting-oregon-wildlife-refuge-ready-to-open-again
