About Us

Every spring and fall, the big sky country of northeast Montana is filled with the clamor of bird calls. With a bird list that includes 283 species, the primary role of the Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge is to conserve its diverse wetlands and grasslands as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Our History

For the last 12,000 years, this region has been occupied by native peoples. In the 1700s, the Assiniboine tribe considered this area part of their traditional homelands. In the 1800s, the Sioux, Cree, and Meti settled here. The lake is known to the Sioux as Bde Wakhan, or (medicine waters). It was named for both the medicinal herbs and roots they gathered from its shores and their belief that the water had medicinal qualities. In 1976 the United States Congress further recognized the refuge’s significance by establishing the Medicine Lake wilderness area wilderness area
Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness areas for protection to ensure that America's pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas can be part of national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Learn more about wilderness area to provide an opportunity for visitors to observe wildlife in an atmosphere of solitude where the evidence of human influence is minimal. 

Other Facilities in this Complex

flock of flying mallard ducks dropping in to land
Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge
Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge is a land of rolling mixed-grass prairie with major drainages running in a northeasterly direction, and with a 173 acre reservoir. Black Coulee Reservoir provides water for migratory birds as well as nesting and brood-rearing habitat. It also serves as an...
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT
Flock of Northern Shovelers landing among other ducks
Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome to Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1936, with the primary purpose of preserving and enhancing resting, feeding, and breeding habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, this 15,551-acre refuge contains numerous wetlands. The habitats provide a refuge and breeding ground...
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT
Early summer on the short-grass prairie at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge with two pronghorn antelope fawns lying in the vegetation.
Bowdoin Wetland Management District
The Bowdoin Wetland Management District was established in 1973 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began protecting small wetland areas and grasslands. The District includes nine Waterfowl Production Areas, four satellite refuges, and over 150 grassland and/or wetland easements spread over a...
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT
Mallard duck in flight
Creedman Coulee National Wildlife Refuge
Creedman Coulee National Wildlife Refuge is primarily composed of Refuge easements. Visiting Creedman Coulee National Wildlife Refuge requires securing permission from surrounding landowners, as there is no public access to the portion of the refuge owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT
White-faced Ibis Silhouette
Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge
The general topography of Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge is rolling, mixed-grass prairie with the major drainage running in an easterly direction. The lake, enhanced by an earthen dam, creates a shallow seasonal wetland. In most years the lake goes dry by late summer, but during the spring...
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT
Canadian geese in flight
Lake Thibadeau National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Thibadeau National Wildlife Refuge is primarily composed of Refuge easements on private lands. Visiting the refuge requires securing permission from an adjacent landowner, as there is no publicly accessible route to access the portion of the refuge owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
National Wildlife Refuge
Malta,MT