Burns, Oregon — The Burns Paiute Tribe has requested the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protect the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Robyn Thorson, Tribal Chairperson Charlotte Rodrique asked for greater protection for cultural resources at the refuge, specifically asking for an inventory of archeological resources at the refuge headquarters, and for criminal prosecution for violators of the Archeological Resources Protection Act.
Tribal Chair Rodrique expressed grave concern over news reports that armed militia have access to important cultural resources at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
“Armed protestors don’t belong here,” said Charlotte Rodrique, Burns Paiute Tribal Chair. “They continue to desecrate one of our most important sacred sites,” she continued. “They should be held accountable.”
The Burns Paiute Tribe are a federally-recognized Indian tribe who inhabit southeast Oregon, southern Idaho, and northern California and Nevada. The Tribe’s ancestral territory includes the area now managed as the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, as well as other federal lands in southeast Oregon.
Earlier this week, the Burns Paiute Tribal Council passed a resolution designating the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as a “Traditional Cultural Property” under the National Historic Preservation Act. This is a first step towards greater cultural resources protection under the National Historic Preservation Act.
