Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of the United States
Location	Burleigh, Kidder counties, North Dakota, United States
Nearest city	Steele, North Dakota
Coordinates	46°43′46″N 100°02′25″W
Area	22,300 acres (90 km^2)
Established	1932
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central North Dakota, was established in 1932 as a migratory bird refuge by President Herbert Hoover. The 22,300-acre (90 km²) refuge consists of a 15,000-acre (61 km²) saline basin that is 18 miles (29 km) long and is appropriately named "Long Lake." Long Lake is relatively shallow; it is normally 3–4 feet (0.91–1.22 m) deep. During extended wet periods, Long Lake reaches depths up to 7 feet (2.1 m).

The shallow depths and lengths of meandering shoreline provide vast expanses of habitat that attract migrating and nesting species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and rare migrant birds. In recognition of the Refuge's significance in the ongoing effort to conserve wild birds and their habitat, Long Lake was designated as a "Globally Important Bird Area" in 2001. Also, due to the special importance of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge to migrating shorebirds, the Refuge was recently recognized as a "Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network" site.

References

• Refuge website

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