USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Minnesota

Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge

Straddling the headwaters of the Minnesota River in west-central Minnesota, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge is within the heart of the tallgrass prairie's historic range. Today, less than one-percent of tallgrass prairie remains.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge11,921 acresUSFWSMN
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMinnesota
Size11,921 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point45.2405, -96.3571
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17)

Boundary map

1 outline

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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 22 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?

11,921 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 Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in?

Minnesota.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.240, -96.357. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 17 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 Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?

22 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Odessa Jail and Big Stone City Hall.

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: Big Stone 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.