Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a

National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. It is managed under Kulm Wetland Management District. Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established by

Executive Order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

8117, signed on May 10, 1939 by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. The Refuge boundaries encompass of private land. A system of flooding

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

s and management easements allows the Service flood land within the river channel or to restrict

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

and other harassment of wildlife. The District manages a low level dam on the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

called Dakota Lake Dam, also known as Ludden Dam or State Line Dam. Dakota Lake Dam was initially constructed by local people and the depression era

Works Project Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

to raise the level of the James River, which frequently turned stagnant and toxic to

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

during summer months. The dam raises the level of the James River about one foot which holds water in old river channels, providing breeding, nesting and brood rearing habitat for many

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

dependent birds and other wildlife. Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern

Dickey County, North Dakota Dickey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,999. Its county seat is Ellendale. History The Dakota Territory legislature created Dickey County on March 5, 1881, with territories ann ...

. From Ludden, North Dakota proceed west on North Dakota Highway 11; the Refuge boundary is at the west end of town.

North Dakota Highway 11 North Dakota Highway 11 (ND 11) is a east–west State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of North Dakota. ND 11's western terminus is at U.S. Route 83 in North Dakota, U.S. Route 83 (US 83) west of Hague, North Dakota, Hague, and the ...

crosses the James River and the Refuge. The James River is at the heart of major corridor for migrating birds. The Refuge is a migration stopover for many thousands of

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

and shore birds.

Snow geese The snow goose (''Anser caerulescens'') is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed ...

are one of the most obvious users of the Refuge during their spring and fall migrations.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Created in 1935, it is a wetlands of international importance and a Globally Import ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

is a scant south of Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Dakota Lake is closed to all public use; however, hunting, wildlife observation and

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

can be quite good on public roads or private lands around the Refuge. April and October are good times to observe waterfowl migrations. An abundance of shorebirds migrate during late August and September.

References

Kulm Westland Management District: Limited-interest National Wildlife Refuges
- includes Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge {{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in North Dakota Protected areas of Dickey County, North Dakota Protected areas established in 1939 Easement refuges in North Dakota 1939 establishments in North Dakota Wetlands of North Dakota Landforms of Dickey County, North Dakota