FBI Deploying Art Crime Team to Investigate If Militants Desecrated Paiute Graves

If you want to sign-up to help restore Malheur refuge after the FBI units are done, there is a place.

By Lizzy Acker

Now that the Bundys and their buddies are in jail and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has been returned to its rightful custodians—the birds—it's time to start assessing the damage caused by the month-and-a-half unsanctioned, live-action-role-playing campout.

In a press conference in Harney County, Ore., this afternoon, FBI Special Agent Greg Bretzing outlined the federal plan for returning Malheur to its pre-militant state.

First, the bureau will be sending in a team to make sure the area isn't booby-trapped. Then, the CSI types will collect evidence.

But then, this:

Say what you will about Obama and Hillary and terrorists and Muslims and common core but, I for one will sleep better tonight knowing that I live in a country that has a specially trained "Art Crime Team."

This is also good news for the Paiutes, who, unlike Nevada ranchers, have an actual historical claim to the land where the wildlife refuge is located.

The Paiutes have not only not used guns to take over the refuge, but they've also had to watch while a group of white people ran roughshod over sacred Paiute places while yelling about how they, the white people, don't have enough freedom.

Today on Twitter, Gov. Kate Brown echoed the FBI's focus on helping the Paiute tribe recover, saying: "Now, let's focus efforts on helping this community recover, including the Burns Paiute Tribe."

If you want to sign up to help restore Malheur after the FBI units are done, Oregon National Desert Association is looking for volunteers.

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