Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,459-acre (5,042 ha) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the central part of the U.S. state of Montana. It lies in northern Cascade County, 12 mi (19 km) north of the city of Great Falls, Montana. Benton Lake NWR includes shortgrass prairie and seasonal wetlands, and is nearly surrounded by the Highwood Mountains to the east, Big Belt Mountains to the south, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. Benton Lake NWR is on the western edge of the northern Great Plains and much of the shallow lake is a 6,000-acre (2,400 ha) wetland.
Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, the Lake Andes Wetland Management District and the Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge. Altogether, 89,454 acres (362.01 km²) of U.S. Government and easement lands are managed by the complex. The complex is headquartered at Lake Andes, South Dakota and is a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The majority of the land area of the refuge has been designated as wilderness and is known as the Chase Lake Wilderness. The refuge is one of the oldest in the U.S., having been set aside in 1908. The refuge has more breeding pairs of white pelicans than any other protected area in the U.S. Chase Lake NWR is managed through Arrowwwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex and in turn, a number of other refuges and wetland management districts are managed from Chase Lake including:
The Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of numerous National Wildlife Refuges and Wetland Management Districts in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Altogether, twelve separate areas are in the complex, with the Chase Lake Prairie Project being the largest at 5.5 million acres (22,000 km2). The protected areas managed include:
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Arrowwood NWR is a part of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge parallels 16 miles (27 km) of the James River and is a mixture of wetlands, forest and prairie. Efforts to ensure the refuge continues to provide prime nesting habitat for waterfowl include prescribed fire, haying, crop cultivation and livestock grazing. The refuge has forests with oak and hackberry which are uncommon on the prairie. It is believed that the name for the refuge is derived from Native American naming for arrow wood, as the wood in the forest was prized for the making of arrows.
Arrowwood Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Arrowwood WMD is a part of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The district consists of 28 Waterfowl Production Areas, 314 Wetland easements, one easement refuge known as Johnson Lake National Wildlife Refuge and another four easements through the Farmers Home Administration, altogether totalling 28,922 acres (117 km2).
Johnson Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Refuge was established by Executive Order 8122, signed on May 10, 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be set aside as "a refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife."
Hobart Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,077-acre (8.41 km2) Easement Refuge located in Barnes County, North Dakota five miles west of Valley City. The refuge is divided in half by Interstate Highway 94 running east and west. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service owns 277 acres (1.12 km2) in fee title and the remaining acres are covered by easement. Three nesting islands in the northeast corner of the refuge that were constructed by Ducks Unlimited have been submerged since 1993.
Stoney Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,000-acre (810 ha) easement refuge with 1,120 acres (450 ha) owned in fee title and the remaining area of 880 acres (360 ha) covered by easement. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service fee title of 1,120 acres allows some wetland and upland management. The wetland areas on the Refuge cover approximately 600 acres (240 ha) in four permanent pools and two temporary pools. Water management using a series of canals and a water control structure is possible when there is sufficient spring runoff. The Refuge is a popular stopover for snow geese and white-fronted geese during fall migration.
Chase Lake Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The district is located in what is known as the prairie–potholes region of lakes and ponds, which were left behind by the retreat of glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Hundreds of waterfowl production areas, Wildlife Development Areas, wetland easements, grassland easements and the easement refuge known as Halfway Lake National Wildlife Refuge, are managed by the district. The district is a part of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
The Halfway Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 160 acres (0.65 km2.) The refuge is a privately owned easement refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is closed to the public and was established to protect habitat for migratory bird species and other animal life. Chase Lake Wetland Management District oversees the refuge, which in turn is a part of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
The Valley City Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 76,000 acres (307 km2). The wetland district is a substation of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 82 waterfowl production areas and four separate national wildlife refuges which are privately owned are in turn managed by the wetland district as easement refuges. The wetland district is in portions of 5 counties in the Prairie Pothole Region that was created by the retreat of glaciers 12,000 years ago, during the last glacial maximum. One third of the protected lands are wetlands with the balance consisting of prairie.
The Sibley Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 1,077 acres (4.35 km2). Sibley Lake is a privately owned easement refuge, managed with by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge was established to protect habitat for migratory bird species, white-tail deer and other mammals. Valley City Wetland Management District oversees the refuge, which in turn is a part of the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Sibley Lake is a 525-acre (2.12 km2) fresh water marsh.
Audubon Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 123 Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), 8 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), and numerous wetland and grassland easements and over 100 separate wetland areas set aside to preserve habitat for bird, plant and mammal species. These lands contain valuable wetland and grassland habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds, and many other species of wildlife. Scattered throughout west central and southwestern North Dakota in McLean, Ward, and Sheridan Counties, the district is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. Hundreds of lakes and marshlands in this region provide critical habitat for migratory and nesting bird species.
Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and is managed from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge consists of Lake Ilo, surrounding wetlands and some upland range, providing habitat for hundreds of species of birds, and numerous fish and mammal species. An average of over 16 inches (40 cm) of precipitation falls annually, supporting a prairie ecosystem.
The Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and extends from the Canada–US border to the neighboring state of Montana. The refuge manages two other refuges and two wetland management districts. The refuge also includes the Lostwood Wilderness which comprises almost a quarter of all the area of the refuge. The refuge is considered a prime migratory and nesting bird sanctuary with over 250 different species identified and tens of thousands of birds using the refuge annually. In 1964, the once believed to be extinct giant Canada goose a subspecies of the better known and much more common Canada goose, was reintroduced into the refuge, and their numbers have greatly increased. Additionally, numerous mammal species reside on the refuge, the largest being the white-tailed deer.
The Lostwood Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and extends from the Canada–United States border to the neighboring state of Montana. The district consists almost exclusively of privately owned property, and landowners work cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the land to maximize natural and agricultural needs. Hundreds of small bodies of water, wetlands and uplands are set aside to increase bird productivity and provide habitat for native animals and plants. The district comprises various areas spread throughout northwestern North Dakota which include waterfowl production areas, wetland easements, grassland easements, and easement refuges. The properties are located in Mountrail and part of Ward County, North Dakota.
Shell Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 1,835-acre (743 ha) National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Though wildlife viewing is allowed, hunting and fishing are prohibited. The refuge is managed by the Lostwood Wetland Management District.
The Crosby Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The district is located in the extreme northwestern section of North Dakota, along the border with Canada and the state of Montana. Within the district is the Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge, 96 parcels of land owned by the U.S. Government which are managed as Waterfowl Production Areas, and several hundred easement refuges that are on privately owned land which are cooperatively managed by the landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,823-acre (1,547 ha) National Wildlife Refuge in Williams County in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The refuge consists of Lake Zahl which provides habitat for many species of waterfowl and other species. It is managed by the Crosby Wetland Management District.
