A SHOCKING VERDICT FOR MALHEURIn late October, a 12-person jury found Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five others not guilty of charges stemming from the armed occupation of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge earlier this year. The verdict shocked attorneys and observers on all sides of the high-profile case, which lasted six weeks. Critics of the occupation fear the verdict will embolden like-minded Westerners to use threats or violence to force federal land agencies to bend to their will. Cliven, Ryan and Ammon Bundy, among others, will answer for charges related to the 2014 Bunkerville standoff during a separate trial in Las Vegas, Nevada, this February. –Tay Wiles
54:Percent of accuracy with which Arizona Department of Game and Fish observers can distinguish among three species of chub.
Three Southwest chub species were reclassified as one, spurring debate among scientists about species management. The fish have different protection levels under the Endangered Species Act: Only one is listed, while two await a decision. Their fate depends on how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service interprets the reclassification. –Anna V. Smith
UNDERSTANDING #DAPLIn early November, protests over the Dakota Access oil pipeline intensified as demonstrators were pushed back, out of the way of construction. To better understand the fight against the pipeline, it’s essential to revisit history. In his essay “Reckoning at Standing Rock,” Paul VanDevelder writes: “The conflict is less about the pipeline and oil profits and much more about the federal government’s trust doctrine with the tribes.” –Paul VanDevelder
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