Comprehensive Conservation Plan

The comprehensive conservation plan sets the management and use of Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, and Upper Souris national wildlife refuges for 15 years. The Souris River basin in northern North Dakota is home to these three national wildlife refuges, known as the Souris River basin refuges. The Souris River basin extends from North Dakota into the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Souris River is the main watercourse and the Des Lacs River is its primary tributary. Until widespread cultivation of prairie soils beginning nearly a century ago, the major ecological community in the basin was northern mixed-grass prairie.

The Souris River basin refuges are in a critical area of the Central Flyway, providing resting and breeding habitat for migrating and nesting waterfowl. The National Audubon Society recognizes all three refuges as Globally Important Bird Areas.

The three refuges were established in 1935 for the same purpose—to serve as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge

• Comprises 19,500 acres.
• Located 1 mile west of Kenmare, North Dakota, in Burke and Ward counties.
• Extends south from the Canada border along 28 miles of the Des Lacs River.

The refuge consists of 13,600 acres of upland grass and grass-shrub communities, 200 acres of wooded draws and coulees, 5,000 acres of open water including three natural lakes, and 700 acres of marsh habitat.

Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge is well known for spectacular snow goose populations of 200,000–300,000 geese in the fall. The wooded coulees provide white-tailed deer with secluded fawning areas and protection from winter winds. In addition, warblers and other songbirds nest within or beneath the tree canopy. Conspicuous animals of the open prairie include the northern harrier, sharp-tailed grouse, and song sparrow.

J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge

• Comprises 58,700 acres
• Located 2 miles north of Upham, North Dakota, in Bottineau and McHenry counties.
• Extends southeast from the Canadian border along 75 miles of the east arm of the Souris River.

The 36,000 acres of upland habitat include native and introduced grasses, thick woodlands, shrub thickets, and some cropland. The southern portion of the refuge contains about 16,000 acres of native prairie interspersed with aspen and brush-covered sandhills and 4,200 acres of wooded river bottom. Because it is in a transitional zone, the area supports an exceptional diversity of prairie habitats.

Wetland habitats include deep and shallow marshes within the Souris River floodplain. Five dikes with water control structures have restored 23,000 acres of open water, marsh, and wet meadow habitat for migratory bird breeding and migration. Six impoundments within the main marshes provide additional management capability.

More than 250 bird species have been recorded including sharp-tailed grouse, Swainson's hawk, and relatively rare birds such as Baird's sparrow. Twenty-seven waterfowl species use the refuge, and 18 species have been recorded nesting on the refuge. The refuge is a regional site in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Comprehensive conservation plan (CCP)
CCP 2007 (36 MB PDF)

By section, for faster download:
Approval, contents, summary (1 MB PDF)
Chapter 1, introduction (5 MB PDF)
Chapter 2, the refuges (3 MB PDF)
Chapter 3, refuge resources and descriptions (9 MB PDF)
Chapter 4, management direction (8 MB PDF)
Appendixes (12 MB PDF)

Draft CCP and environmental assessment (EA)
Draft CCP and EA 2007 (27 MB PDF)

By section, for faster download:
Contents, summary (PDF)
Chapter 1, introduction (3 MB PDF)
Chapter 2, the refuges (3 MB PDF)
Chapter 3, affected environment (5 MB PDF)
Chapter 4, alternatives and environmental consequences (1 MB PDF)
Chapter 5, implementation of the proposed action (6 MB PDF)
Appendixes (10 MB PDF)