USFWS · Minnesota

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States. It lies in the glacial lake country of northwestern Minnesota in Becker County, 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Detroit Lakes. It was established in 1938 as a refuge breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. It covers 42,724 acres (172.90 km2).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge42,412 acresUSFWSMN
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by USFWS Midwest, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
1 fire
active
Hwy 87 · 50 mi from the center · 50 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMinnesota
Size42,412 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point46.98° N, 95.62° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 7.0°F averageFebruary: 11.1°F averageMarch: 26.3°F averageApril: 40.9°F averageMay: 55.0°F averageJune: 65.0°F averageJuly: 69.5°F averageAugust: 67.5°F averageSeptember: 59.0°F averageOctober: 44.5°F averageNovember: 29.9°F averageDecember: 15.2°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Tamarac Wildlife Re, 2 miles from the center point at 1,508 feet, station USC00218191 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020.

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Hwy 87

    50 mi from the center point · 50 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 6 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 Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge?

42,412 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in?

Minnesota.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 46.981° N, 95.619° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Hwy 87 at 50 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 6 listings within 15 miles, including Detroit Lakes Carnegie Library and Northern Pacific Passenger Depot.

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 (Q7680849), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Tamarac 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.