FIELD NOTES: US 395 Burns to John Day, Oregon February 13, 2016

On January 2, 2016, a group known as the Militia took over the administrative offices of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Their cause was to free two Harney County, Oregon, ranchers from federal prison and to return the federal lands of Harney County to local ranchers. The event is another episode in the history of Western lands. The demand for local control of federal lands episodically reappears in the rural West. Over time, this demand has become known as the Sagebrush Rebellion. As the demand for resources and populations increase, Western public lands are becoming an increasing target of those who seek to remove federal ownership in favor of local control. Reconsidering land ownership and management issues on Western federal lands plays a significant role in Western geography, environmental history, land-use planning, and social conditions in the rural West. Our role as educators and involved citizens can assist in the future of American public lands. This essay describes the cultural landscape between Burns and John Day, Oregon, on US Highway 395 as a way to identify current issues on federal lands. The information is presented as field notes based on February 13, 2016, observations, two days after the end of the Malheur Refuge occupation.