The staff of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge posted a lengthy open letter on Facebook early Wednesday, addressing the 19-day occupation of the refuge.

The letter, addressed to "Our Friends, Partners, and the American Public," has garnered more than 2,950 likes, 1,725 shares and 225 comments on the social media platform, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The letter says the staff has not commented on the occupation partly because staff members "want to ensure our words do not inflame an already heated situation."

It thanks supporters and says staff members "hope to be back soon and pick up where we left off."

The letter notes, too, that staff members think the occupation "will lead to even stronger bonds between the Refuge and the community that has supported us."

The full Facebook post is embedded below. Click "see more" to read the full post.

An open letter to our friends, our supporters, and many curious about what's going on here.From: The Staff of Malheur... Posted by Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Read what you need to know about day 19 of the standoff in this Oregonian/OregonLive report.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005

@Jimryan015