Seventy-five miles of the Souris River wind through the refuge. Over the years, the meandering river has changed its channel many times, creating loops or oxbows in the river. The oxbow is habitat for tree-nesting ducks and their broods. The wooded areas of the river provide habitats for animals such as porcupine, deer, and moose . Prescribed burns are now used by wildlife managers to improve native grasslands.
Timely burns suppress many of the less desirable plants and allow the native species to flourish.
Johnson Bridge is where our Scenic Trail crosses the Souris River. Historians believe the Native Americans used a crossing about 100 feet west of the bridge. Be on the lookout for beavers , red squirrels, wood ducks , and hooded mergansers. Ten thousand years ago, the sandhills you see now were once part of a beach on glacial Lake Souris. Wind formed the ridges by sweeping loose sand into dunes at the edge of the lake.