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
Mortenson Lake
National Wildlife Refuge		 A close-up of a Wyoming toad shows its mottled appearance. These toads are a light brown/green with darker brown spotting.

Laramie, WY   
E-mail: arapaho@fws.gov
Phone Number: 970-723-8202
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://arapaho.fws.gov		 The Wyoming toad was once a common resident of the riparian and wetland communities within Albany County, Wyoming.
Blue horizontal line
  Overview
Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) supports the last known breeding population of the endangered Wyoming toad. The Refuge encompasses 1,776 acres and is located southwest of Laramie, Wyoming. The four main lakes on the Refuge are associated with a series of high elevation lakes called the "Laramie plains lakes." The Refuge is administered out of Arapaho NWR in Walden, CO. It is closed to the public because of the Wyoming toad's status.


horizontal line

Wildlife and Habitat
Mortenson Lake is the largest lake on the Refuge and supports the Wyoming toad population.

Learn More>>


History
The Wyoming toad is confined to the Laramie plains in southeastern Wyoming.

Learn More>>

    Note
The refuge is closed to the public.




Recreation and Education Opportunities
Learn More >>

Dark blue horizontal line

Managment Activities

Management activities center on the recovery of the Wyoming toad and maintaining a healthy habitat for the species. It has been documented that the Wyoming toad needs open areas along the lake shoreline, and grazing has been the habitat tool used to open up the lake edge. Grazing is also used to promote habitat health on the rest of the Refuge. Water management activities include grassland irrigation and water level maintenance of the small wetlands on the eastern portion of the Refuge. Success of the captive breeding efforts at Mortenson Lake has fluctuated over the years. Captive toad releases into Mortenson Lake have occurred since 1995.