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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 22 OcTOber 2019

Study finds U.S. public land workers facing assaults, threats

By MATTHEW BROWN cies: the Forest Service,
Associated Press BLM, Fish and Wildlife Ser-
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Fed- vice and National Park Ser-
eral employees overseeing vice.
U.S. public lands were as- Grijalva said the attacks
saulted or threatened at documented underscore
least 360 times over a five- growing concerns over the
year period marked by safety of government work-
heightened tensions with ers on public land.
anti-government groups The lawmaker also criti-
and dwindling ranks of law cized the Trump administra-
enforcement officers, a tion's appointment of Bu-
congressional watchdog reau of Land Management
agency said Monday. Acting Director William
The Government Account- "Perry" Pendley, who has
ability Office in a new re- expressed support for Ne-
port highlights anti-govern- vada rancher Cliven Bun-
ment tensions that at times dy. Bundy's family played
have boiled over, including central roles in a 2014
a six-week armed occupa- standoff over grazing fees
tion of a federal wildlife ref- in Nevada and the 2016
uge in Oregon in 2016 and occupation of Oregon's
other standoffs with armed In this Oct. 11, 2019 photo, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Acting Director William "Perry" Malheur National Wildlife
protesters in Montana and Pendley speaks at a conference for journalists in Fort Collins, Colorado. Refuge.
Nevada. Associated Press "Making a folk hero out of
The clashes have been not disclosed because it ployees at greater risk. lic each year...that are Bundy, that sets a danger-
rooted in a deep distrust was considered sensitive in- The findings will be ad- peaceful and uneventful." ous precedent," Grijalva
of government on the part formation. dressed by lawmakers In a formal response to said. "At the top of the
of the protesters, who view The report did not say during a hearing Tuesday the GAO report, Inte- agency, they reinforce and
the federal bureaucracy as whether rates of assaults before the House Subcom- rior Department Assistant embolden some of these
unlawfully impeding peo- and threats were increas- mittee on National Parks, Secretary Scott Cameron actions by doing nothing
ple from using public land ing. But it noted a dwindling Forests and Public Lands. agreed with recommenda- and previously being in
for grazing, mining and oth- number of federal officers Witnesses include Anne- tions to carry out security support of them."
er economic purposes. patrolling the nation's vast Marie Fennell, who directs assessments at hundreds of Pendley, a former property
Even a routine traffic stop or forests, parks, wildlife refug- the GAO's natural resourc- government facilities. For- rights attorney, routinely
the collection of a park en- es and other open spaces, es and environment team. est Service Chief Victoria lambasted federal bureau-
trance fee can be enough which cover more than 670 A Forest Service official Christiansen also agreed crats prior to his appoint-
to trigger an assault or million acres primarily in 12 said increased awareness with the recommendation ment in July and warned
threat, according to GAO Western states. about employee security for security review. of another populist "Sage-
investigators. The report cited a 19% drop — fueled by high-profile Neither gave details on brush Rebellion" if the gov-
The incidents investigators in the ranks of officers at the standoffs with protesters — when the security work ernment didn't open more
cataloged during inter- U.S. Forest Service between may have contributed to would occur. Western lands to develop-
views with federal workers 2013 and 2018 The Bureau additional reporting of po- "Our highest priority is the ment.
ranged from threatening of Land Management saw tential threats. safety and wellbeing of our The original Sagebrush Re-
phone calls and gunshots a 9% drop and now has But the service's internal employees and visitors on bellion of the 1970s was a
fired over the heads of em- one officer in the field for data does not show any our public lands," said In- period of intense mistrust
ployees, to the stabbing of every 1.2 million acres the change in the rate of as- terior Department spokes- between some ranchers
a Bureau of Land Manage- agency oversees. saults and threats, said For- woman Melissa Brown. and federal land manag-
ment worker outside a fed- The GAO investigation est Service spokeswoman The security review was re- ers. It arose in part from
eral building. faulted officials at U.S. Babete Anderson. She quested by U.S. Rep. Raul court rulings that said pub-
Some of the assaults trig- land agencies for failing to added that government Grijalva, an Arizona Demo- lic range land was being
gered FBI domestic terror- come up with plans to as- workers have "millions of crat and chairman of the overgrazed, ushering in
ism investigations, although sess the security of govern- contacts and interactions natural resources commit- new restrictions for the live-
the precise number was ment facilities, leaving em- with members of the pub- tee. It covered four agen- stock industry.q