BURNS -- Ammon Bundy and his band of militants appeared ready to settle in for the long haul Saturday when a rifle-toting "security detail" broke the relative lull that had fallen over their weeklong standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The morning began with a notable change in scenery. The ornate sign that used to greet visitors with "Welcome To Your National Wildlife Refuge" now advertised the "Harney County Resource Center" in white block letters over a blue background.

LaVoy Finicum, a prominent member of the Bundy crew, had just finished a speech about the sign when a convoy pulled up. Members of the Pacific Patriots Network, a consortium of groups from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, emerged from their cars and trucks carrying rifles and sidearms and clad in military attire and bulletproof vests.

Their leader, Brandon Curtiss, said the group came to "de-escalate" the situation by providing security for those inside and outside the compound.

About a half-dozen rifles were visible among the two dozen new arrivals. They weren't staying in the compound, Curtiss said, but planned to patrol the perimeter of the reserve and had started showing up in the area the day before.

"No comment," one of them responded when asked what kind of gun he was carrying.

Curtiss said he intended to meet with standoff organizers as well as local public officials and law enforcement leaders to help bring about a "peaceful resolution" to the occupation.

"We are not the militia, and we are not a militia," he said, adding that his group meant to ensure "everybody's safety, on both sides."

But Bundy and his corps of anti-government protesters didn't want their services.

Within minutes of their arrival, a man who said he was speaking on Bundy's behalf emerged from the occupied refuge headquarters and announced that the visitors had been asked to leave. Bundy didn't talk directly to reporters or appear at the daily morning briefing.

Todd MacFarlane, a Utah lawyer who said he was acting as a mediator for Bundy and the local community, told those gathered that Bundy was worried about the perception the group might create.

"We don't need that," MacFarlane told them. "We don't want it and we're asking you to leave."

Soon afterward, Curtiss and company piled into their 15 or so trucks and cars and left the refuge compound.

Joseph Rice, a spokesman for the network, said its leaders had delivered "articles of resolution" to Bundy, hoping to hasten an end to the standoff, and were leaving to share the documents with other government agencies.

On Saturday, it appeared his group's mission had expanded. Finicum said the refuge occupiers are now taking up the cause of other area ranchers who have complaints against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. He wouldn't name the ranchers, but said the militants plan to dismantle a fence that keeps one rancher's cattle off some federal land.

So far, law enforcement officers have made no attempt to force the militants out, although Bundy and the group have a standing offer from Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward to avoid arrest if they leave peacefully. It's unclear whether that offer comes with a deadline.

Other than the brief presence of the rifle-toting visitors, the refuge headquarters remained much the same as it has throughout the week: Power remains on in the buildings, militants and local residents can travel back and forth to town freely and no roadblocks exist on the way to the refuge.

Meanwhile, the new sign outside the headquarters seems to indicate that the militants are digging in. The sign comes with a fresh moniker for group members, who now call themselves Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. Their ranks appear to have grown beyond the core 20 to 25 protesters, but it's impossible to say by how many because of all the comings and goings.

Law enforcement authorities including the FBI and sheriff's deputies from across the state have converted the Burns school district building into a makeshift command post with around-the-clock security. However, they have no evident presence in or around the refuge.

Militants are openly driving government-owned vehicles and heavy equipment around the compound, proclaiming that the trucks and backhoes now belong to the local community. The new sign outside the compound gives credence to the protesters' claim that Harney County residents now own all on-site buildings, equipment and supplies.

At the same time, the refuge occupiers have limited access to the buildings, arguing that letting reporters and photographers inside would pose a safety hazard.

After leaving the refuge, members of the Pacific Patriots Network convoy arrived at the Harney County Courthouse. The group, which Curtiss said numbered at least 50, lined their vehicles on opposite sides of the street waiting to deliver their resolution plan to the sheriff.

They milled about as snow fell, and Curtiss struck up a conversation with an Oregon State Police trooper as other law enforcement officers stood watch.

Curtiss, who said his group had already delivered the plan to the FBI at the Burns Municipal Airport, reiterated his wish to spark a dialogue, "so that everyone can go home"

The sheriff emerged from the courthouse about 5:30 p.m., and the group presented him with its articles of resolution and left. The sheriff declined to comment about the plan.

Back at the refuge, a handful of men who appeared to be part of the Pacific Patriots Network remained. They carried sidearms and wore military garb, guarding the entrance of the compound.

-- Luke Hammill and Dave Killen of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.

-- Kelly House

khouse@oregonian.com

503-221-8178

@Kelly_M_House