Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 31,533-acre (12,761 ha) National Wildlife Refuge located in the northeastern region of the U.S. state of Montana. The refuge is part of the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex which also includes the Northeast Montana Wetland Management District (WMD) and Lamesteer National Wildlife Refuge. Medicine Lake is from the Assiniboine description of the lake, "Bda wauka". The refuge was established in 1935 to protect habitat for various wildlife and especially migratory birds. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1980, the Medicine Lake Site was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Montana |
| Size | 31,484 acres (computed from the boundary polygon) |
| FWS region | Region 6 |
| Center point | 48.4682, -104.3816 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 4.6 miLarsen, Aage and Kristine, Homestead ↗Dagmar, MT
- 12.7 miThornwood School ↗Reserve, MT
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
31,484 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?
Montana.
Source: How states are assigned
How do I get to Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 48.468, -104.382. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How dark is the night sky at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 13 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Are there historic places near Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
2 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Larsen, Aage and Kristine, Homestead and Thornwood School.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
- States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
- Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
- Description: Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.