USFWS · South Dakota, Nebraska

Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge

Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge is located mostly in the southern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a small extension into northern Nebraska, and includes 1,085 acres (4.39 km2) The refuge is a part of the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Of the land area in the district, the United States Government owns only 780 acres (3.15 km2), while the remaining area is managed as a conservation easement. The refuge is closed to the public but there are excellent viewing locations from the Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River. The Karl E. Mundt NWR has the largest concentration of bald eagles in the lower 48 states, with over 200 eagles often spending the winter on the refuge. The refuge was named for former South Dakota Senator Karl Mundt, who was a strong supporter of the Endangered Species Act of 1966.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge1,394 acresUSFWSSDNE
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by USFWS Mountain Prairie, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesSouth Dakota, Nebraska
Size1,394 acres
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point43.03° N, 98.54° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

3 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 Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.61 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.75 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.31 inches of precipitationApril: 2.85 inches of precipitationMay: 3.91 inches of precipitationJune: 3.97 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.07 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.22 inches of precipitationSeptember: 2.68 inches of precipitationOctober: 2.07 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.85 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.78 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 20.0°F averageFebruary: 24.2°F averageMarch: 35.0°F averageApril: 46.6°F averageMay: 58.3°F averageJune: 69.1°F averageJuly: 75.2°F averageAugust: 72.4°F averageSeptember: 64.0°F averageOctober: 49.9°F averageNovember: 36.1°F averageDecember: 25.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Pickstown 4Ssw, 2 miles from the center point at 1,707 feet, station USC00396575 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 26 inches a year.

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 · 8 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for South Dakota and hiking across the country

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

  • Hiking the Black Hills Country
    Bert Gildart and Jane Gildart, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
    Laural A. Bidwell, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge?

1,394 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses South Dakota and Nebraska.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.033° N, 98.536° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 8 listings within 15 miles, including Rising Hail Colony and Marty Mission School Gymnasium and St. Therese Hall.

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.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q6371731), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Karl E. Mundt 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.