U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Audubon

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Auto Tour Guide
This goose, 

designed by J.N. 

“Ding” Darling, is 

the symbol of the 

National Wildlife 

Refuge System.

Welcome Audubon National Wildlife Refuge 

(NWR) was established in 1956 to 

replace wildlife habitat that was lost 

when the Garrison Dam and Reservoir 

was constructed on the Missouri River. 

The Refuge is 14,735 acres in size and 

provides habitat for 246 bird, 

34 mammal, 5 reptile, 4 amphibian, 

and 37 fish species. The Refuge is one 

of over 560 refuges in the National 

Wildlife Refuge System – a network 

of lands set aside and managed by 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

specifically for wildlife. 

You are invited to enjoy the sights 

and sounds of the prairie grasslands 

and wetlands by traveling the auto 

tour route along the scenic south 

shoreline of Lake Audubon. The 

rolling hills, prairie pothole wetlands, 

and Lake Audubon itself all provide 

spectacular opportunities to view 

waterfowl, songbirds, resident wildlife, 

scenic vistas, and more. Wildlife can 

be observed almost anytime, but 

the best viewing times are during 

early morning or in the evening. 

About the 

Auto Tour Route 

The 8.6-mile gravel auto tour route

begins near the office and visitor center 

and travels through mixed-grass 

prairie and wetland habitats along 

Lake Audubon. Eleven interpretive 

signs along the route correspond to 

the map and numbered paragraphs 

in this brochure. At each location, you 

are welcome to pull your vehicle over 

to the side of the road and enjoy the 

sights and sounds of the Refuge. When 

you reach the end of the route, turn 

west and drive 3 miles to Highway 83. 

The speed limit is 20 mph, and 

decreases to 10 mph on curves. The 

auto tour route is open year-round, 
but conditions may vary depending 

on precipitation amounts or snow that 

blocks the route. Refuge staff do not 

clear snow from the route. For your 

safety and to minimize disturbance to 

wildlife and habitat, please keep your 

vehicle on the auto tour route at all 

times. 

Wildlife Habitat 

Audubon National Wildlife 

Refuge provides wildlife with 

a diversity of habitats, from 

the water and islands of Lake 

Audubon to prairie wetlands, 

native prairie, and planted 

grasslands. These habitats 

provide the food, water, shelter, 

and space required to support 

the needs of many species of 

wildlife. Refuge staff strive to 

fulfill the needs of wildlife by 

carefully managing the Refuge 

habitats.

The Mixed Grass Prairie 

Over 10,000 years ago, the 

leading edge of the Wisconsin 

glacier moved across this 

region, depositing rock, gravel, 

and soil in an area that is now 

called the Missouri Coteau. The 

mixed grass prairie plants that 

grow here provide valuable 

habitat for many grasslanddependent bird species, such 

as the northern pintail, upland 

sandpiper, American bittern, 

grasshopper sparrow, and 

northern harrier. The prairie 

pothole wetlands of this area also 

boast some of the highest densities 

of nesting ducks in North America. 

Pasque flower

Upland

sandpiper
Creating Wetland Habitat 

Several dikes have been 

constructed in shallow water 

close to the shoreline of Lake 

Audubon. The purpose of these 

dikes is to create habitat that 

functions more like a wetland 

than the open-water lake. The 

quiet wetland waters provide 

places where birds can find 

adequate food and raise their 

young. Emergent plants such 

as cattails and bulrush begin to 

grow along the perimeter, and 

submergent plants such as sago 

pondweed grow just beneath the water 

surface. These plants provide habitat for 

aquatic insects to reproduce and grow, 

and a variety of birds are attracted to 

these areas where they can dabble, dive, 

or probe in the mud to find high protein 

meals. 

Historic Visitors 

On October 26, 1804, the 

44 members of the Lewis and 

Clark Expedition arrived at 

the Mandan Indian villages, 

located approximately 

20 miles southeast of here. 

The expedition members 

constructed Fort Mandan, 

their winter home, on the 

north bank of the Missouri 

River across from the villages. 

The Corps of Discovery left 

Fort Mandan on April 6, 1805, 

destined to reach the 

Pacific Ocean.

On their return to Fort Mandan from 

the Pacific Ocean, the Lewis and 

Clark Expedition found most of the 

Fort burned, with only a few pickets 

standing next to the river. On August 

13, 1806, they camped a few miles 

west of here at the mouth of Myre 

Creek (now called Snake Creek). Their 

campsite is now under the waters of 

Lake Sakakawea.

American

bittern

John James

Audubon
Artist and naturalist John James 

Restoring Natives

Prior to the establishment 

of the Refuge, much of the 

upland areas were used for crop 

production. Today, many of these 

fields have been seeded to native 

grasses such as green needle, 

sideoats grama, blue grama, and 

big bluestem. Although it is 

virtually impossible to duplicate 

native prairie due to the variety 

and complexity of plant and soil 

life, the planted native grasses 

and wildflowers provide habitat 

for a great variety of insects, 

migratory birds, and resident 

wildlife.

Habitat Management 

Historically, prairie grasslands 

evolved with grazing bison and 

wildfires. Today, wildlife 

managers utilize cattle and 

controlled fire to mimic the 

action of bison and wildfires to 

improve Refuge grasslands for 

wildlife.

Livestock grazing, by local 

ranchers, is used to increase the 

growth and vigor of the prairie 

grasses. Successful habitat 

management involves careful 

timing of grazing with the plant’s annual 

growth cycle, consideration of how often 

the plants are grazed, the number and 

type of animals used, and length of the 

grazing season. 

Sideoats grama

Bison
Fire is an important part of prairie 

Nesting Sanctuaries

The many islands of Lake 

Audubon are hilltops that 

remained after the water held 

by the Garrison Dam flooded 

this area. These islands are 

sanctuaries for many types 

of nesting birds, including 

waterfowl, shorebirds, and 

songbirds. Many birds also use 

Lake Audubon as a refueling 

area during spring and fall 

migration. To avoid disturbance 

to these birds, public use 

activities, except for ice fishing and 

special tours, are not allowed on the 

refuge portion of Lake Audubon. 

To learn more about the island 

sanctuaries and wetland habitat, drive 

ahead approximately 1⁄4-mile and park 

your vehicle in the pull-off on the right 

side of the road. Take time to read the 

interpretive panels and enjoy the scenic 

view of Lake Audubon.

Mallard
Prairie Potholes

Audubon NWR is located in the 

Prairie Pothole Region, which 

is known for its rolling hills and 

millions of small depressions or 

potholes. 

Three main types of wetlands 

occur here, and they are 

classified according to the 

length of time they hold water 

– temporary, seasonal, and 

semi-permanent. Many of the 

wetlands are seasonal and hold 

water for only a few months 

during the year.

 Wetlands, along with their plant 

communities, change as they go through 

wet and dry cycles. The wildlife species 

that use these wetlands for food and 

shelter also varies as the water depth 

and plants change. For example, ducks 

often pair up on temporary and seasonal 

wetlands because they are isolated and 

nutrient-rich. When these wetlands 

become dry, the ducks move to semipermanent wetlands to raise their 

young. The numerous aquatic insects 

found in the wetlands provide food for 

ducks, shorebirds, grebes, and many 

other wildlife species. 

Colonial Nesting Birds

A colony consists of a group 

of birds that nest together 

in the same place and at the 

same time, communicating and 

raising their young in close 

proximity to one another. 

On clear, calm, summer 

evenings, the noisy squawks of 

young birds can be heard across 

the waters of Lake Audubon. 

The sound comes from the 

northeast, where double-crested 

cormorants, California gulls, 

and ring-billed gulls have established a 

nesting colony on an island. 

American

wigeon

Double-crested

cormorants
Cormorants build a stick nest, lay 

Native Prairie 

Early pioneers called it a ‘Sea 

of Grass’ – mile after mile of 

uninterrupted grasslands that 

waved in the summer winds 

like waves on the sea. Today, 

large expanses of native prairie 

are only a memory in the minds 

of ‘old-timers’; however, small 

remnants of native prairie 

grasslands do remain. Look 

to the west and you will see 

hundreds of acres of native 

prairie. Let your imagination 

expand this area a thousandfold, and you can visualize the awesome 

breadth of the open prairies that 

greeted and awed early settlers. 

Native prairie supports a great variety 

of wildlife, and the decline of many 

native wildlife species, including Baird’s 

sparrows and burrowing owls, can be 

traced to the loss or misuse of native 

prairie.

Little bluestem
Return of the Giant 

Historically, giant Canada 

geese nested on the North 

Dakota prairies. One of the 

earliest recorded observations 

of these nesting Canada geese 

was by Lewis and Clark, who 

reported seeing them nesting 

in the tops of lofty cottonwood 

trees, probably using old hawk 

or eagle nests. However, by the 

mid-1930s, giant Canada geese 

had almost been eliminated 

from this area due to habitat 

destruction and over-hunting.

 In 1958, a captive flock of giant Canada 

geese was established at the Refuge. 

Adults were held flightless in pens while 

their young were allowed to fly free and 

intermingle with wild, migrating geese. 

The free-flying young returned to their 

Refuge birthplace to nest in the wild. 

By the early 1970s, the captive flock 

was no longer needed, as a wild flock of 

nesting giant Canada geese was firmly 

established.

This is the last interpretive stop on the 

tour. To reach U.S. Highway 83, continue 

driving south on the auto tour route for 

11⁄2 miles. Turn right on the gravel road 

and travel west 3 miles. We hope you 

enjoyed your visit and will come again.

If you have any questions, comments, 

or desire additional information, please 

stop at the Office and Visitor Center, 

which is open from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

Canada Geese
Accessibility Equal opportunity to partici

pate in and benefit from programs an

d activities of the U.

S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service is 

Information available to all in

divi

duals regardless of 

physical or mental ability. Dial 711 for a free connection to t

he State relay 

service for TT

Y and voice c

alls to and from the speech and hearing impairied. For more information or to 

address 

accessibility needs, please contact the Refuge staff at 701 / 4

42 5474, or the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of 

Equal Opportunity, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D

C 20

240.

a
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge

3275 11th Street NW

Coleharbor, ND 58531

701 / 442 5474

701 / 442 5546 fax

audubon@fws.gov

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Audubon

For State relay service

TTY / Voice: 711

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://www.fws.gov

For Refuge Information 

1 800 / 344 WILD

March 2014