On Jan. 2, an American militia group took over and occupied a southeastern Oregon wildlife refuge, draping American flags over the center’s signs.

Led by anti-government activist Cliven Bundy, the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom seized the Malheur Wildlife Refuge to protest federal oversight of public grazing land.

The imprisonment of two ranchers, Dwight Hammond, Jr., 73, and his son Steve Hammond, 43, who were convicted of several arson charges on federal land nearby their ranch, sparked the incident. The two men had been operating land through a lease with the US Bureau of Land Management; therefore, they did not entirely own the property.

The men were convicted of violating the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty of 1996, which prohibits damage to any piece of land owned by the United States. Though the Hammonds appealed the case, the court upheld the conviction, which carries a minimum sentence of five years.

In addition to causing a debate over federal power, the takeover also sparked controversy over the wording used to describe the ranchers: “protester” versus “terrorist”.

“I think the situation should have just been left alone and not bothered with as far as the armed white men go,” junior Cameron Markus said. “In this case, I see it as just protesting.”