From High Country News:
“The Oregon occupation, the 2014 Bundy standoff and many other stories are all related to a long-simmering movement.
“The Sagebrush Rebellion has roots that go back to the early 1900s, when the federal government first started reserving public lands and developing water for early settlements. It took off starting in the 1970s, when the environmental movement pushed Congress to pass The Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air and Water acts, and others. It appeared again during the Clinton Administration, as it took on public land grazing, mining, and logging, while creating new controversial monuments under The Antiquities Act. Finally, the election of President Barack Obama brought on the latest iteration, with renewed calls for public land transfers to the states and rising anti-federal sentiment, such as that exhibited by the Malheur occupation.
The editors at High Country News assembled coverage of this issue that spans the late-1970s to the current Malheur occupation. Visit the HCN website for a fascinating, long-range perspective.