Winter menaces N. Dakota camp as pipeline protesters dig in

CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — So far, the hundreds of protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline have shrugged off the heavy snow, icy winds and frigid temperatures that have swirled around their large encampment on the North Dakota grasslands.

[...] as they defy government orders to abandon the camp and vow to stay put even after a surprise federal decision to further delay and review the project, demonstrators know the real deep freeze comes when the full force of the Great Plains winter descends on their community of nylon tents and teepees.

The government had ordered protesters to leave federal land by Monday, though authorities made no noticeable effort to enforce that mandate as the deadline passed.

Many demonstrators insist they will stay for as long as it takes to permanently divert the $3.8 billion pipeline, which the Standing Rock Sioux tribe believes threatens sacred sites and a river that provides drinking water for millions of people.

The pipeline is largely complete except for a short segment planned to pass beneath a Missouri River reservoir, and opponents scored a victory during the weekend when the Army said it would not approve a permit for the crossing while further assessing potential changes.

Increasingly, more permanent wooden structures are being erected, even though the Army Corps of Engineers considers them illegal on government property.

A collection of Army surplus tents with heating stoves serve as kitchen, dining hall, medical clinic and a camp-run school.

Maxwell put out a call on social media for more donations, seeking four-wheel drive trucks and foul-weather clothing.

In a recent clash between police and protesters near the path of the pipeline, officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and large water hoses in sub-freezing temperatures.

The perception was so great that it led to a short-lived proposal to change the state's name by dropping "North" and leaving just "Dakota," to dispel the image of inhospitable winter weather.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who is heading the law enforcement effort around the pipeline, said he hopes the harsh conditions force people to leave the encampment, something the state and federal governments have so far been unable to do.

In addition to the federal order, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued a "mandatory evacuation" for the camp "to safeguard against harsh winter conditions."