Audubon National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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Location | McLean County, North Dakota, USA |
Nearest city | Coleharbor, ND |
Area | 14,735 acres (60 km²) |
Established | 1955 |
Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
The Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 14,735 acres (60 km²). The refuge is managed with by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is the centerpiece of the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes numerous other refuges in the region. Originally designated as the Snake Creek National Wildlife Refuge in 1955, the refuge was renamed in 1967 in honor of the famed artist and naturalist John James Audubon. Most of the refuge area is a lake known as Audubon Lake and is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Audubon Lake has 100 islands which provide nesting habitat for birds. Another 3,020 acres (12 km²) consists of wetlands crucial to numerous bird and mammal species. Of particular interest are the Baird's and Le Conte's Sparrows which nest here in enormous numbers during the late spring and summer.