U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
5
sand lake
National Wildlife
Refuge
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We invite you to take
a journey along the
Wildlife Drive at Sand
Lake National Wildlife
Refuge.
Keep your senses
sharp as you pass
through the marshes,
open lakes, grasslands,
and woodlands of the
Refuge. You never know
what gifts nature will
offer you today.

Sand Lake
National Wildlife
Refuge
This goose,
designed by J.N.
“Ding” Darling,
is the symbol of
the National
Wildlife Refuge
System.
The Wildlife Drive
Sand Lake National Wildlife
Refuge (NWR) was established
in 1935 as a refuge and breeding
area for migratory birds and other
wildlife. The Refuge is home to over
266 bird species, 40 mammal species,
and a variety of fish, reptiles, and
amphibians. Sand Lake NWR
is a Globally Important Bird Area
and one of the top birding sites in
North America.
Sand Lake NWR is one of over
550 refuges in the National Wildlife
Refuge System - a network of lands
set aside specifically for wildlife.
Managed by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Refuge System
is a living heritage, preserving
wildlife and habitat for people
today and for generations to come.
We invite you to learn about the
Refuge and its wildlife by touring
the Wildlife Drive. Along the way,
you might see all kinds of wildlife,
including ducks, geese, waterbirds,
warblers, shorebirds, and deer,
just to name a few.
The Wildlife Drive is generally open
from April 1 to mid-October, but it is
occasionally closed during these times
due to hazardous driving conditions.
The best times to view wildlife are in
the early morning and late afternoon.
There are 12 numbered stops along
the 15-mile route. The paragraphs
on the next few pages correspond to
these stops and describe the wildlife
and habitat you will see along the
way. It usually takes approximately
1% hours to complete the tour.
Please stay on the gravel roads.
The first stop is 0.8 miles ahead.

Sand Lake
Nesting in the
Cattails
From this point, you can see across
the widest part of Sand
Lake. This shallow lake
provides important
resting habitat for
migratory birds. Its
waters also contain vital
food sources for these
birds.
Common wildlife seen
on the lake include
ducks, geese, pelicans,
and grebes. The tall
trees lining the opposite shore are
used by bald eagles and other birds
for roosting. -
The next stop is 1.8 miles ahead.
Overlooking the marshes of upper
Sand Lake, you can see some of the
Refuge's most important
cattail habitat for
waterfowl that nest
overwater, including
[. redheads and ruddy
# § ducks. Both redheads
iš and ruddy ducks make
| M their nests among these
- cattails. Once the
- ducklings are hatched,
the open waters of
upper Sand Lake are
ideal for brood rearing.
Colonial nesting birds also nest
in the cattail habitat, including
Franklin's gulls, black-crowned
night-herons, cattle and great
egrets, and white-faced ibises.
The next stop is 1.5 miles ahead.


Deep Water +
Food = Diving
Ducks
Crops and Cover
The pond in front of you is Sandell
Pool. This deep pool is a good place
to watch for diving ducks, such as
redheads and ruddy
ducks. These ducks
feed on invertebrates
that live in the thick mat
of submerged vegetation
(Sago pondweed) in the
Water.
The next stop is 1.2
miles ahead.
Crops are planted in this area
to supplement the
natural foods available
for wildlife. Resident
wildlife, such as deer,
grouse, and pheasants,
use these fields for food
year-round, but
especially during the
harsh winter months.
The next stop is 0.4
miles ahead.


A
N
0 miles 2
0 kilometers 2
Houghton
A Dam
to
Ludden
ND
to Britton
to US 281
< * (10–
Sand Lake
16 National Wildlife Refuge
- Refuge Boundary
State Highway
County Road
_ _ _ _ North Loop Road
(Open April 1 — mid-October)
Columbia || ºn TV Zºº::\ = \Z^ - | ........... Wildlife Drive Tour Route
Day Use (Open April 1 — mid-October)
Area
(1) Auto Tour Stop
fº Refuge Headquarters
117th Street Restrooms
Weismantel Grade Accessible
[+] Observation Deck
O Observation Tower
Columbia LTT-
Dam N Day Use Area
Fishing Area
ºf Marsh
to Columbia














Mud Lake Dike For the next mile, you will be driving
along the Mud Lake dike. This dike
was built in the late
1930s by the Civilian
Conservation Corps
(CCC) to control water
levels in Mud Lake and
# Sand Lake. The stop-log
§ structure underneath
: the bridge is used to
# both hold and release
s Water.
3.
Notice the difference
in plant life and habitat
on each side of the dike. Sago
pondweed, a submerged plant, grows
in the open water above the dike. It
is an important food source for up
to 3,000 tundra Swans during the fall
migration. Below the dike, the thick
stands of cattails support western
grebes and other species that have
different habitat needs.
The next stop is 0.9 miles ahead.
Phragmites The tall, plumed plants growing
in the marsh around you are called
phragmites, or common reeds. The
phragmites “islands”
in Mud Lake provide
important nesting areas
for several species of
marsh and water birds.
For example, grebes
and diving ducks build
floating nests among
the stalks, while herons
bend the stalks over
to build nests above
the water.
The next stop is 0.5 miles ahead.


Restored Prairie
f
Watch for Birds
This area is a remnant of the once
vast native prairie landscape. Two
hundred years ago,
this area was open,
wild prairie as far as
the eye could see. There
were no trees, houses,
or roads — just a sea
of grasses, wildflowers,
and forbs crossed by
the slow-flowing James
River and herds of
grazing bison.
Today, this habitat
is important to upland nesting
waterfowl and other migratory
birds such as meadowlarks, bobolinks,
and shorebirds. While
the vast expanses of wild prairie are
gone, the remaining grasslands are
critically important to migratory
birds that nest in the uplands.
The next stop is 0.5 miles ahead.
At this stop, you may see several
different species of songbirds flitting
through the willow
trees, including yellow
warblers, common
yellowthroats, and
American redstarts.
Watch the tree tops
for movement, and
listen for their songs.
You may even catch
a glimpse of a great
horned owl. As you
drive the next mile,
watch for a variety of
ducks, including mallards, pintails,
and blue-winged teal.
The next stop is 3.1 miles ahead.


Waterfowl
Production.
Ponds
f
Trees On
The Prairie
Winter Shelter
Shallow ponds, like the one to the
right, provide both the nesting and
brood-raising habitat vital for the
survival of many duck
species. Ponds like this
one are full of small
aquatic insects, a choice
food source for both
adult ducks and
ducklings. Look for
duck broods in this pond
during the summer.
The next stop is 2.4
miles ahead.
Most of the trees in this area are
not native to South Dakota. They
were planted in the
1930s to protect crops
from wind erosion
and benefit wildlife.
Commonly called
“shelterbelts,” these
areas provide habitat
for woodland wildlife.
Just ahead, you
will pass through
a shelterbelt. Watch
for hawks, owls, and
woodpeckers. Also, on your way
to the next stop, take a few minutes
to enjoy the observation deck that
overlooks Sand Lake.
The next Wildlife Drive stop is 1.6
miles ahead.
Cattail marshes are very important
for wintering deer and
pheasants in eastern
South Dakota. Without
these dense stands of
marsh vegetation, both
of these species would
have a tough time
surviving the harsh
South Dakota winters.
The next stop is 0.8
miles ahead.



Native Prairie
WY}
W
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Other
Recreational
Opportunities
Accessibility
Information
N
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The area on your left has been
reseeded with several native grass
species – primarily
bluestem, switchgrass,
and Indiangrass. Still,
the biological diversity
of native prairie can
never be fully restored
once it has been broken
for cropland. Because
of this, it is important
to conserve tracts of
original prairie grasses
for future generations.
The Columbia Day Use Area is
1.5 miles north of 117th Street /
Weismantel Grade on Brown County
Highway 16 and offers accessible
parking, restrooms, shelter, tables,
and interpretive kiosks. You are
invited to hike the 34-mile nature
trail found in this area.
You may also climb the historic
observation tower near the
headquarters. It was built in the
1930s by the Civilian Conservation
Corps.
Equal opportunity to participate
in and benefit from programs and
activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is available to all individuals
regardless of physical or mental
ability. Dial 711 for a free connection
to the State relay service for TTY
and voice calls to and from the speech
and hearing impaired. For more
information or to address accessibility
needs, please contact the Refuge
staff at 605/885-6320, or the U.S.
Department of the Interior, Office
of Equal Opportunity, 1849 C Street,
NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
39.650 Sand Lake Drive
Columbia, SD 57433–9761
60.5/885 6320
60.5/885 6333 fax
sandlake(Gyfvs.gov
http://www.fws.gov/sandlake
For State relay service
TTY/Voice: 711
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov
For Refuge information
1800/344 WILD
October 2009
RSITY OF MICHIGAN
Iluli. Ill
15