U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service logo National Wildlife Refuge System Logo Celebrating a Century of Conservation
Banner graphic displaying the Fish & Wildlife Service logo, the National Wildlife Refuge System logo and the Celebrating a Century of Conservation tagline
Madison
Wetland Management District		 An aerial view of the wetlands in McCook County show the large number of small prairie potholes that are typical of the Madison Wetland Management District.
23520 SD Hwy 19
Madison, SD   57042
E-mail: madisonwetlands@fws.gov
Phone Number: 605-256-2974
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://madisonwetlands.fws.gov 		The wetlands and lakes in Madison Wetland Management District mark the western edge of the tallgrass prairie, the most threatened ecosystem in North America.
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  Wildlife and Habitat
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WPAs provide for the needs of a wide range of animals such as nesting ducks, migrating geese, shorebirds, deer, muskrats, ring-necked pheasants, and Neotropical songbirds. Blue-winged teal and mallards are the most common ducks on Madison WMD. Other frequently observed breeding ducks are northern pintails, gadwalls, ruddy ducks, and redheads.

In the spring and fall, thousands of snow geese may be observed passing through the District, with the largest numbers often seen in a corridor from the town of Madison to 40 miles west of Madison. Giant Canada geese were reintroduced into eastern South Dakota from the late 1960s through the 1980s; they have now become common nesters in every part of the District.

Other waterbirds common to the District include American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, herons, gulls, terns, and shorebirds. Mammals, including white-tail deer, mink, muskrat, beaver, skunk, raccoon, red fox, coyote, and badger are in abundance.

 
 
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