About Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 3,279-acre Refuge, which also has a 399-acre flowage easement and contains three large wetlands which are filled by Cedar Creek. Halfbreed Lake is a productive 248-acre semi-permanent wetland that has a good interspersion of open water and emergent vegetation. The other two wetlands, Grass Lake (375 acres) and Goose Lake (220 acres), are shallower and less permanent, but sustain highly productive stands of submergent vegetation. The dense cattail communities located throughout the Refuge in marshy areas provide cover, concealment, nesting habitat, and brood-rearing habitat for a plethora of water-obligate bird species. The Refuge is one of the most productive migratory bird areas in south-central Montana. It is used in abundance by a diversity of migratory birds during spring and fall migrations for staging and resting, and for nesting and brood-rearing in spring through late summer. The Refuge also provides summer molting areas for 500 to 1,000 Canada geese. Several upland bird species known to be on the Refuge include Brewer's sparrows, loggerhead shrikes, sharp-tailed grouse, greater sage grouse, and Sprague’s pipits (both state species of concern). Birds of prey include sharp-shinned hawks, short-eared owls, peregrine falcons, and ferruginous hawks. Water birds include most species of waterfowl present in the Central Flyway, along with great blue herons, white-faced ibis, black-necked stilts, American avocets, willets, and Wilson's phalaropes. An exceptionally large colony of Franklin's gulls have also been seen on the Refuge. Mammals known to occur on the Refuge include black-tailed prairie-dogs (state species of concern), mule deer, white-tailed deer, badgers, skunks, coyotes, red foxes, hoary bats, and prairie voles. Up to 250 pronghorn have been seen at Grass Lake NWR. Upland vegetation throughout most of the Refuge generally consists of a prevalent greasewood component having a mixture of mixed-grass prairie (w
