Oregon's Malheur wildlife refuge is returning to 'a new normal'
William Yardley
Less than three months after the end of the 41-day armed occupation that made this remote part of eastern Oregon a symbol of tension between the rural West and the federal government, a very welcome spring has arrived. The occupiers are mostly in jail, the Malheur wildlife refuge is mostly open, and the birds — and birders — are back ...
"We will not go back to exactly the way it was before," said Chad Karges, the longtime manager of the refuge. "It will be a new normal."
For refuge employees, that means ongoing repairs and repainting for the headquarters and visitors center, which are expected to open in late July or early August, although roads are now open in the refuge. It means an even greater emphasis on building relationships with ranchers and other residents who have often been frustrated by the government's expanding presence in the region. It means making a point to acknowledge the tension and speaking carefully because a criminal investigation is underway that could last for years ...
Malheur is one of the more highly managed refuges in the West, with a complicated water system that stores and pumps runoff from Steens Mountain to serve the needs of more than 300 species of birds. Water use has long stirred debate in this arid region ...
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-oregon-occupation-hangover-20160501-story.html
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