Forced from their traditional haunts, the eagles searched for alternate wintering areas and many found the tail-waters below Ft. Randall Dam to their liking. In this open water they found an abundance of their favorite food --- fish such as goldeye, shad, and white bass, plus a variety of ducks and geese.
Eagles found robust stands of mature cottonwood trees that provided shelter from winter winds, adjacent to open water. The combination of abundant food and ideal roosting habitat proved ideal. Wintering eagle populations began to increase below the dam. In 1967, 283 eagles were counted spending the winter below the dam making the Ft. Randall population the largest in the lower 48 states. The National Park Service designated the area as a National Natural Landmark.
Although a portion of the wintering eagle flock utilized woodlands managed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the main roosting areas were on private lands further downstream. In order to preserve this national treasure, a project was launched by 7-Eleven Food Stores and the National Wildlife Federation.
Receipts generated by the sale of endangered species drinking cups were set aside in the "Save A Living Thing Project". A quarter of a million dollars was raised and donated to the National Wildlife Federation. With these funds, the Federation purchased 780 acres of river bottom and obtained a conservation easement on 300 additional acres which protected trees from harvest on private land. Administration of the land was turned over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on December 19, 1974. The new refuge was named after the late Karl E. Mundt, a South Dakota Senator who was a strong supporter of the Endangered Species Act of 1966.
