USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Minnesota, Iowa

Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge

The Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in Iowa and Minnesota in the United States. The United States Government established it to provide a means of working with individuals, groups, private organizations, and entities of the U.S. Government, Government of Iowa, and Government of Minnesota to permanently preserve a portion of the remnant tracts of northern tallgrass prairie in Iowa and Minnesota. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is acquiring remnant prairie tracts for the refuge from willing private landowners through both conservation easements and fee title purchases.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge17,231 acresUSFWSMNIA
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesMinnesota, Iowa
Size17,231 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point44.4553, -96.1000
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

129 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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · Adjacent
Pipestone National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 330 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

17,231 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 Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses Minnesota and Iowa.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.455, -96.100. Pipestone National Monument is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 18 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

Pipestone National Monument (adjacent). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge?

330 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Volstead, Andrew John, House and Pipestone Indian School Superintendent's House.

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: Northern Tallgrass Prairie 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.