USFWS · Minnesota

Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, located in central Minnesota, USA, was established in 1992 to preserve a large, natural wetland complex. It is an essential stop for many species of migrating birds. Located within a large watershed that includes Rice, Skunk and Mud Lakes, Platte and Skunk Rivers, Rice and Buckman Creeks, and sedge meadow wetlands, it harbors one of the largest nesting populations of greater sandhill cranes in Minnesota. Habitats include native tallgrass prairie, oak savanna and wetlands with wild rice stands. With a total authorized acquisition boundary of 13,540 acres (54.8 km2) encompassing this important wetland complex and adjacent uplands, the refuge exists as scattered parcels totaling about 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). Existing ownership lies in Little Falls and Agram townships in Morrison County.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge2,204 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
Size2,204 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point45.93° N, 94.25° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

12 outlines

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.76 inches of precipitation, 9.5 inches of snowFebruary: 0.66 inches of precipitation, 9.7 inches of snowMarch: 1.27 inches of precipitation, 8.5 inches of snowApril: 2.26 inches of precipitation, 4.1 inches of snowMay: 3.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.73 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.25 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.96 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.45 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowNovember: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 8.2 inches of snowDecember: 0.90 inches of precipitation, 11.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 13.7°F averageFebruary: 18.0°F averageMarch: 31.4°F averageApril: 45.3°F averageMay: 58.1°F averageJune: 67.6°F averageJuly: 72.5°F averageAugust: 70.0°F averageSeptember: 62.1°F averageOctober: 48.1°F averageNovember: 32.4°F averageDecember: 19.2°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Little Falls 2Nne, 7 miles from the center point at 1,120 feet, station USC00214793 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 27 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 53 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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

National Register listings within 15 miles · 14 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Minnesota

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

2,204 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in?

Minnesota.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.932° N, 94.252° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 14 listings within 15 miles, including St. Joseph's Church--Catholic and Warren, William, Two Rivers House Site and McDougall, Peter, Farmstead.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Crane Meadows 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.