About Us

Established in 1935, J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge was originally named the Lower Souris Refuge. The name “Souris” is French for “mouse.” Before 1800, French explorers noted that local Indigenous tribes referred to the river as “the mouse river,” a reference to the large numbers of mice found in the meadows along its banks. In 1967, the Refuge was renamed to honor John Clark Salyer II, former Chief of the Division of Wildlife Refuges for the Bureau of Biological Survey from 1934 to 1961. Often called the “Father of the National Wildlife Refuge System,” Salyer oversaw remarkable growth of the Refuge System—from 1.5 million acres in the mid‑1930s to nearly 29 million acres by the time of his retirement.

The Refuge lies within the former lakebed of glacial Lake Souris, where retreating glaciers shaped the rolling hills and temporary wetlands that define much of today’s landscape. Most of the Refuge occupies the Souris River valley, where extensive wetland habitat is bordered by a narrow band of upland vegetation.The southern portion includes wooded river bottomlands, floodplain meadows, and native prairie sandhills—remnants of wind‑ and wave‑deposited material left along the ancient lakeshore. Together, the Refuge’s mixed‑grass prairie, river valley wetlands, marshes, sandhills, and woodlands support an exceptional variety of wildlife.

Facts About the Refuge

• Five main dikes with water control structures impound more than 23,000 acres of wetlands. Another 36,000 acres of uplands include wooded river bottoms, native prairie grasslands, floodplain meadows, and seeded native or tame grasses.
• Over 270 bird species have been recorded on the Refuge, and more than 160 species nest here. Its diverse habitats and location within a major transition zone between eastern and western North America make it one of the finest birdwatching areas in North Dakota—and one of the most notable in the country.
• One of the earliest efforts to re‑establish Giant Canada geese in North Dakota began here in 1937. Today, these birds occur in every county in the State.
• In 2001, the Refuge received two significant designations: recognition as a regional site critically important for shorebirds by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, and inclusion among the American Bird Conservancy’s first 100 “Globally Important Bird Areas.”
• The North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory lists the Refuge as one of only two remaining intact ecological landscapes in the State.
• J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge was one of just ten refuges featured in a Refuge System centennial exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in 2003–2004.

Our Mission

Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System is established to serve a statutory purpose that supports the conservation of native species dependent on its lands and waters. The primary purpose of J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge is to provide habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds, and other wildlife. All activities on the Refuge are evaluated for compatibility with this mission.

Our History

Tribal nations including the Arikara, Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Hidatsa, Lakota, and Mandan historically used the broader Souris River region. Indigenous peoples hunted bison, waterfowl, and other wildlife across landscape. The historic End of Woods Trail, which crosses the southern part of the Refuge, was long used by Native peoples, fur traders, and explorers. In the early 1900s, European‑American settlers developed farms and ranches, converting prairie and floodplain meadows into cropland and draining wetlands along the river. The drought of the 1930s brought significant hardship, impacting both agriculture and wildlife.

Declining waterfowl populations in the early twentieth century spurred the creation of several national wildlife refuges, including J. Clark Salyer. To restore habitat, the Civilian Conservation Corps built low dikes and water control structures along the river. As water returned to the valley, aquatic vegetation was planted to help reestablish marsh habitat. Many of the original water control structures remain in use today, though they have been improved and expanded over time to support modern habitat management needs.