Sheriff’s Department Comments on “Operation Big Sky” Encampment

It’s called “Operation Big Sky” by various groups on the internet who sent out a call for help on Tuesday. Now armed individuals are camping near the White Hope Mine east of Lincoln, hoping to form a “buffer” between the U.S. Forest Service and a miner in a property dispute. Lewis and Clark County Undersheriff Dave Rau spoke to KGVO News about how deputies will deal with the situation.

"The way that we are going to deal with this is that we are going to keep the peace and enforcing the law," Rau said. "We are currently in contact with the mine owner, the person that has the claim, and we are working with him. We are also in touch with the Forest Service. Again, our goal is to keep the peace and enforce the laws of Montana."

Rau says some people in Helena and Lincoln have been a little startled, but says the situation isn’t a tense standoff by any means.

"We are not seeing anything like that right now. We have had no issues as far as them. I think the biggest thing is probably just their presence. The citizens in Lincoln just have questions about why there are people walking around in camouflage and carrying weapons."

Groups like Oath Keepers say that the encampment is not there to provoke a standoff, they describe Operation Big Sky as a “Security Operation.” When asked about how many individuals were at the camp, Rau estimated about eight.