Waubay Wetland Management District

Waubay Wetland Management District is located in the "Coteau des Prairies," or prairie hills region of South Dakota. It includes more than 300 waterfowl production areas (WPA) in six counties of northeastern South Dakota. The WPAs range from 40 acres (16 ha) to more than 1,600 acres (650 ha) in size, comprising a total of 40,000 acres (160 km²). WPAs provide vital wildlife habitat in a landscape of cropland and pasture.

Access to all WPAs is limited to foot traffic only. Grass parking lots are available at many of the larger WPAs to provide off-road parking. There are no facilities or designated hiking trails. WPAs tend to be used very heavily during hunting seasons, but they also provide wonderful opportunities to explore the natural areas of South Dakota at other times of the year.

Waubay Wetland Management District includes the very first waterfowl production area - McCarlson WPA, acquired in January 1959 from Arnold and Lydia McCarlson.

Gallery

Lytta nuttalli (nutall's blister beetle) on milkvetch at Waterfowl Production Area in Waubay Wetland Management District
A spider waits on a purple coneflower for an unsuspecting victim at Lake Emma WPA
A Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) gets a meal from a purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) at Lake Emma WPA in Waubay Wetland Management
A pink wild onion (Allium stellatum) — blooms in the Tallgrass prairie of Waubay Wetland Management District

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Protected areas of South Dakota

Federal

National Parks	Badlands Wind Cave

National Historic Sites and Memorials	Minuteman Missile NHS Mount Rushmore NMem

National Monument	Jewel Cave

National Forests	Black Hills Custer

National Grasslands	Buffalo Gap Dakota Prairie Fort Pierre Grand River

National Historic Trail	Lewis and Clark

National Recreational River	Missouri

National Wildlife Refuges	Huron WMD Karl E. Mundt Lacreek Lake Andes Madison WMD Sand Lake Sand Lake WMD Waubay Waubay WMD

National Wilderness Areas	Badlands Black Elk

State

State Parks	Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve Bear Butte Custer Fisher Grove Fort Sisseton Good Earth Hartford Beach Lake Herman Lone Pine Newton Hills Oakwood Lakes Palisades Roy Lake Sica Hollow Union Grove

State Recreation Areas	Angostura Beaver Creek Big Sioux Big Stone Island Burke Lake Buryanek Chief White Crane Cow Creek Farm Island George S. Mickelson Trail Indian Creek LaFramboise Island Lake Alvin Lake Cochrane Lake Hiddenwood Lake Louise Lake Poinsett Lake Thompson Lake Vermillion Lewis and Clark Little Moreau Llewellyn Johns Mina Lake North Point North Wheeler Oahe Downstream Okobojo Point Pease Creek Pelican Lake Pickerel Lake Pierson Ranch Platte Creek Randall Creek Richmond Lake Sandy Shore Shadehill Snake Creek Spirit Mound Historic Prairie Springfield Swan Creek Walker's Point West Bend West Pollack West Whitlock