A traffic control point was established on Hwy 1806 between the Backwater Bridge and the north entrance to the Oceti Sakowin camp. The existing barricade on the Backwater Bridge was removed. The new traffic control point was established in accordance with the plan to do a phased re-opening of the Backwater Bridge but at this time the bridge remains closed to traffic. While the movement of the jersey barriers was underway to the new traffic control point, protesters approached law enforcement on Hwy 1806 but no significant problems were encountered. Governor Burgum issued Executive Order 2017-1, which orders a mandatory evacuation of the areas of Morton and Sioux County adjacent to the Cannonball River which are under the proprietary jurisdiction of the US Army Corps of Engineers. In summary, the evacuation is ordered due to flooding concerns and accompanying significant health and safety risk and danger to human life as well as a significant and increasing environmental threat to the waters of the Missouri River. All persons occupying or residing in the area are ordered to leave the area no later than 2 pm on February 22, 2017. At approximately 11:40 pm, 2 snowmobiles left the protest camp and entered onto US Corps of Engineers property in the area of Turtle Hill. Three law enforcement officers on snowmobiles responded and approached these snowmobiles and the unknown subjects operating the snowmobiles engaged in reckless driving by approaching the officers at high speed and driving very close to the officers as if to crash into the officers or cause the officers to wreck by taking evasive action. These snowmobiles then returned to the Oceti Sakowin camp at a high rate of speed and officers did not pursue.
