Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in Aitkin County in east central Minnesota, five miles south of the community of McGregor. It was established in 1935 for waterfowl habitat preservation. The refuge includes Rice Lake itself, a shallow, 3,600-acre wild rice-producing lake. The refuge has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy due to the importance of the lake and its wild rice as a food source for migrating waterfowl, especially ring-necked ducks.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Minnesota |
| Size | 18,088 acres (computed from the boundary polygon) |
| FWS region | Region 3 |
| Center point | 46.5276, -93.3539 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12) |
Boundary map
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
- 8.9 miBethelhem Lutheran Church ↗Aitkin, MN
- 12.9 miCasey, Patrick, House ↗Aitkin, MN
- 13.1 miPotter/Casey Company Building ↗Aitkin, MN
- 13.1 miNorthern Pacific Depot ↗Aitkin, MN
- 13.2 miAitkin Carnegie Library ↗Aitkin, MN
- 13.2 miAitkin County Courthouse and Jail ↗Aitkin, MN
- 13.9 miArthyde Stone House ↗McGrath, MN
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
18,088 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 Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?
Minnesota.
Source: How states are assigned
How do I get to Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.528, -93.354. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How dark is the night sky at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 12 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 Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
7 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Bethelhem Lutheran Church and Casey, Patrick, 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: Rice Lake 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.