About Us

The wetlands of Mortenson National Wildlife Refuge provide important water resources that support resting, nesting and foraging areas for migratory birds in the semiarid environment of the Laramie Plains basin. The three Laramie Plains refuges, Bamforth, Hutton Lake and Mortenson Lake are designated as Important Bird Areas by Wyoming Audubon.

Our Mission

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Our History

In the 1980s, Mortenson Lake was owned by a private landowner. The Wyoming toad was thought to be extinct, but a small population was discovered on the private land around Mortenson Lake. When the toads were discovered, the rancher sold the land to The Nature Conservancy, who then donated the land to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Wyoming toad conservation. That land then became Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge and is one of several protected habitats for the Wyoming toad. Now, toads are released each year on select private and public lands across Albany County — a large-scale effort made possible by generous landowners who maintain their agricultural heritage while also providing habitat for this rare species.

Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1993 under the Endangered Species Act to protect the endangered Wyoming toad. The Service purchased an additional 151 acres for the refuge in 2003. The 1,968-acre refuge is located 15 miles southwest of Laramie. Within the refuge’s approved acquisition boundary, 598 acres remain in private ownership. 

Other Facilities in this Complex

Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge is managed as part of the Central Sage Steppe Conservation Complex. A Conservation Complex is a group of two or more refuges, wildlife management areas, wetland management districts, or conservation areas that are primarily managed from a central office location. Refuges are grouped into a complex because they occur in a similar region, such as a watershed or specific habitat type, and have a related purpose and management needs. Typically, a project leader oversees the management of the refuges within the complex and refuge managers are responsible for operations at specific refuges. Support staff: administrative, law enforcement, refuge manager, biological, fire, visitor services, and maintenance, are centrally located and help with all refuges within the complex.

Other refuges in the Central Sage Steppe Conservation Complex include: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (Walden, Colorado); Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge (Alcova, Wyoming); Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge, Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area (Laramie, Wyoming); as well as Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (Green River, Wyoming), Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Cokeville, Wyoming), and Wyoming's portion of the Bear River Watershed Conservation Area. Administrative headquarters for Arapaho, Pathfinder, and the Laramie Plains refuges is located at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, in Walden, CO phone number 970-732-8202, while administrative headquarters for the southwestern Wyoming refuges is located at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, 37 miles north of Green River on Hwy 372 - 246 Seedskadee Road, PO Box 700, Green River, WY 82935; phone number 307-875-2187. 

Last Light on Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge supports diverse wildlife habitats, including sagebrush steppe uplands, grassland meadows, willow riparian areas, and wetlands. This 23,464-acre Refuge was established in 1967 primarily to provide suitable nesting and rearing habitat for migratory birds.
National Wildlife Refuge
Walden,CO
A red-tailed hawk flies against a blue sky.
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge, located in the southern part of the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. The Refuge consists of 1,166 non-contiguous acres in three parcels and includes mixed-grass uplands and wetland habitats. The wetlands provide welcome resting and feeding areas for migrating waterfowl...
National Wildlife Refuge
Walden,CO
Early summer on the short-grass prairie at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge with two pronghorn antelope fawns lying in the vegetation.
Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge has diverse habitats for you to explore, including open-water wetlands, upland brush and grasslands, and alkali flats.
National Wildlife Refuge
Walden,CO
Golden Eagle flies low over sagebrush steppe of Wyoming.
Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome to Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge, located in central Wyoming's high desert plains between the Pedro and Ferris Mountains and part of the Platte River system. Established in 1909 by executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt, the refuge is comprised of four separated units-...
National Wildlife Refuge
Walden,CO
Trumpeter swans fly across a wintery sagebrush steppe dotted with snow at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge.
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
In the distance the Wind River Mountain Range to the north and the Wyoming Range to the west provide the snowmelt that sustains the Green River which flows through Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. The Green River is an oasis that bisects the high desert sagebrush steppe of southwest Wyoming....
National Wildlife Refuge
Green River,WY
Virginia rail in wetland at Cokeville Meadows in fall of the year.
Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
South of Cokeville, Wyoming, Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is centered around a 20-mile stretch of the Bear River Valley and its associated wetlands and uplands. Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge supports one of the highest densities of nesting waterfowl in Wyoming. These...
National Wildlife Refuge
Cokeville,WY