Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

47°39′57″N 111°19′59″W / 47.66583°N 111.33306°W / 47.66583; -111.33306^[1]Area12,459 acres (50.42 km²)Established1929Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWebsiteBenton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,459-acre (5,042 ha) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the central part of the U.S. state of Montana.^[2]^[3]

Location

It lies in northern Cascade County, 12 mi (19 km) north of the city of Great Falls, Montana. Benton Lake NWR includes, Benton Lake, shortgrass prairie and seasonal wetlands, and is nearly surrounded by the Highwood Mountains to the east, Big Belt Mountains to the south, and the Rocky Mountains to the west.^[4] Benton Lake NWR is on the western edge of the northern Great Plains and much of the shallow lake is a 6,000-acre (2,400 ha) wetland.^[4]

Benton Lake NWR is the centerpiece of the Benton Lake NWR Complex, which includes Swan Valley Conservation Area, Swan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Lake Wetland Management District, Blackfoot Valley Conservation Area and the Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area. The complex encompasses an area of 163,304 acres (66,087 ha) and the headquarters is located in Great Falls, Montana.^[5]

Ecology

During spring and fall migrations, up to 150,000 ducks, 2,500 Canada geese, 40,000 snow geese, 5,000 tundra swans, and perhaps as many as 50,000 shorebirds use the marsh. On average, 20,000 ducks are produced yearly, while colonies of Franklin's gulls may contain more than 10,000 nests.^[6] Shorebirds such as avocets, phalaropes, willets are commonly seen as are diving birds like the grebe. Raptors including bald eagles, golden eagle, prairie falcon, and peregrine falcon have been spotted as well. Of the approximately 240 species of birds recorded on the refuge, nearly 90 are known to nest here.^[7] The prairie sections of the refuge provide habitat for burrowing owls and sharp-tailed grouse.^[8]

Other Refuge wildlife includes 28 different species of mammals including coyote, muskrat, badger, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and pronghorn.^[8]^[9]

References

^ "Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "Annual Report of Lands Under Control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service" (pdf). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 30, 2010. p. 23. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ Benton Lake East, ND (Map). Topoquest (USGS Quads). Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "About the Refuge". Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Montana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mar 28, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "About the Complex". Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Montana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. May 16, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "Seasons of Wildlife". Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Montana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mar 28, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "Birds". Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Montana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mar 28, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Wildlife List" (pdf). Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. October 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
^ "Other Wildlife". Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Montana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mar 28, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.

External links

Media related to Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge at Wikimedia Commons
Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge - official site

Protected areas of Montana

Federal

National parks	Glacier Yellowstone
National monuments	Little Bighorn Battlefield Pompeys Pillar (BLM) Upper Missouri River Breaks (BLM)
National battlefield	Big Hole
National historical parks and historic sites	Grant–Kohrs Ranch NHS Nez Perce NHP
National historic and scenic trails	Lewis and Clark NHT Nez Perce NHT Continental Divide NST Pacific Northwest NST
National recreation area	Bighorn Canyon
National Wildlife Refuges	Benton Lake Black Coulee Bowdoin Charles M. Russell Creedman Coulee Grass Lake Hailstone Hewitt Lake Lake Mason Lake Thibadeau Lamesteer Lee Metcalf Lost Trail Medicine Lake Ninepipe Pablo Red Rock Lakes Swan River UL Bend War Horse
National Forests	Beaverhead–Deerlodge Bitterroot Custer Flathead Gallatin Helena Kootenai Lewis and Clark Lolo
National Wilderness	Absaroka–Beartooth Anaconda–Pintler Bear Trap Canyon Bob Marshall Cabinet Mountains Gates of the Mountains Great Bear Lee Metcalf Medicine Lake Mission Mountains Rattlesnake Red Rock Lakes Scapegoat Selway–Bitterroot UL Bend Welcome Creek
National wild and scenic rivers	East Rosebud Creek Flathead Missouri

State

State parks	Ackley Lake Anaconda Smoke Stack Bannack Beaverhead Rock Beavertail Hill Big Arm Black Sandy Brush Lake Chief Plenty Coups Clark's Lookout Cooney Council Grove Elkhorn Finley First Peoples Buffalo Jump Fort Owen Frenchtown Pond Giant Springs Granite Ghost Town Greycliff Prairie Dog Town Hell Creek Lake Elmo Lake Mary Ronan Lewis and Clark Caverns Logan Lone Pine Lost Creek Madison Buffalo Jump Makoshika Medicine Rocks Missouri Headwaters Painted Rocks Parker Homestead Pictograph Cave Pirogue Island Placid Lake Rosebud Battlefield Salmon Lake Sluice Boxes Smith River Somers Beach Spring Meadow Lake Thompson Falls Tongue River Reservoir Tower Rock Travelers' Rest Wayfarers West Shore Whitefish Lake Wild Horse Island Yellow Bay
State forests	Clearwater Coal Creek Lincoln Lubrecht Experimental Stillwater Sula Swan River Thompson River
Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Island Aunt Molly Badlands Beartooth Beckman Big Lake Blackfoot-Clearwater Blackleaf Blue Eyed Nellie Bowdoin Buffalo Head Park Bull River Calf Creek Canyon Creek Canyon Ferry Dodson Creek Dodson Dam Dome Mountain Ear Mountain Elk Island F Island Flathead Lake Flathead River Fleecer Mountain Fox Lake Freezout Lake Fresno Reservoir Fresno Tailwater Gallatin Garrity Mountain Grant Marsh Gravelly-Blacktail Haymaker Hinsdale Horseshoe Lake Howard Valley Isaac Homestead Judith River Kootenai/Falls Kootenai/West Kootenai/Woods Ranch Lake Helena Lost Creek Lower Stillwater Lake Madison-Bear Creek Madison-Wall Creek Milk River Mount Haggin Mount Jumbo Mount Silcox Nevada Lake Ninepipe North Swan Valley CE Pablo Ray Kuhns Robb-Ledford Rookery Roundhom Sanders Seven Sisters Silver Gate Silver Run Smith River Sun River Swan Lake Thompson-Fisher CE Three Mile Threemile Vandalia War Dance Island Warm Springs

Other

Nonprofit	American Prairie
Tribal	CSKT Bison Range

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National Wildlife Refuges of the United States