Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge 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 world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...

 in North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. It is managed under Kulm Wetland Management District

Kulm Wetland Management District

Located in south-central North Dakota, Kulm Wetland Management District was established in 1971. Located in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, Kulm Wetland Management District provides breeding, nesting, and brood rearing areas for many species of waterfowl and other migratory birds...

.

Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established by Executive Order 8117, signed on May 10, 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

. The Refuge boundaries encompass 2784 acres (11.3 km²) of private land. A system of flooding easement

Easement

An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...

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

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

, trapping and other harassment of wildlife.

The District manages a low level dam on the James River 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 to raise the level of the James River, which frequently turned stagnant and toxic to cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 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 dependent birds and other wildlife.

Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Dickey County, North Dakota

Dickey County, North Dakota

-Major highways:* U.S. Highway 281* North Dakota Highway 1* North Dakota Highway 11* North Dakota Highway 56-National protected areas:*Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge*Maple River National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...

. From Ludden, North Dakota

Ludden, North Dakota

Ludden is a city in Dickey County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 23 at the 2010 census. Ludden was founded in 1886.-Geography:Ludden is located at ....

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

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

 and shore birds. Snow geese

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

 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

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. Protected in 1935, the refuge has recorded over 266 bird species and another 40 species of mammals...

 in South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

 is a scant 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Dakota Lake is closed to all public use; however, hunting, wildlife observation and photography

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

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.