Oregon hearing on Owyhee wilderness sparks stand-off warning

At an informational hearing Monday before the Oregon House Interim Committee On Rural Communities, Land Use and Water on a proposal to designate 2.5 million acres of canyonlands and desert in southeastern Oregon into a federally protected monument, ranchers showed up in droves to protest the plan, which would affect grazing leases. Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe said he feared such a designation would spark another armed standoff like the one earlier this year at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, although ranchers dismissed such an action.