BURNS -- Christian evangelist Franklin Graham joined talks to end the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

A spokesman for Graham confirmed that he communicated by phone with both federal representatives and the four remaining holdouts at the refuge.

"Other than that, he has no comment," said Todd Shearer, the spokesman.

He declined to say whether Graham's discussions with either side are ongoing, so it's unclear whether Graham holds an active role in the negotiations.

Graham's name first came up after the last protesters called for him to act as an intermediary. Graham runs the North Carolina-based evangelical organization named after his father Billy Graham.

The armed occupation has persisted since Jan. 2, when a group led by Ammon Bundy, son of controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, took over the refuge headquarters. The occupation was born out of protests over the imprisonment of two local ranchers. It expanded as people poured in from throughout the country and its leaders took issue with federal land management.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, shown here in New Hampshire on Jan. 19.

But most of the people at the refuge left a week ago after the arrest of Bundy and several other leaders. Group spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot and killed during the confrontation with state police and the FBI on a highway outside of Burns.

The four occupiers who remain at the refuge have said they became stuck there in the confusion that ensued after the arrests and shooting. They are David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio, Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada, and Sean Anderson, 48, and his wife, Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho.

They're insisting on immunity and say they won't leave until they receive it.

Their cause appeared to garner some high-profile support Monday when Ammon Bundy's father sent a letter to the local sheriff saying that "We the People" would retain ownership of the refuge. The elder Bundy rose to prominence after he led a standoff at his ranch over grazing fees in 2014.

His son Ammon, though, has repeatedly asked the occupiers to leave. He reiterated his stance in a statement issued Tuesday. He said he hadn't had a chance to speak to his father and still wants the refuge turned over to local control, but still urged the holdouts to "go home now so their lives are not taken."

Many in Burns hold a similar view, as shown by a demonstration Monday against the occupation that attracted nearly 300 people. But more than 200 supporters of the standoff also turned out, signaling the community's divide over the issue.

The self-styled patriot group that organized the pro-standoff demonstration submitted a petition Monday calling for the resignation of county commissioners and the sheriff, as well as the removal of the FBI from the county and the arrest of the agent in charge of investigating Finicum's death.

Harney County Judge Steve Grasty responded Tuesday in a statement saying that all four county officials, himself included, declined the request. He said the county had no authority to remove the FBI from federal lands.

-- Molly Young

myoung@oregonian.com

503-412-7056

@mollykyoung