Seven breeding pairs of Canada geese remnant of the once great flocks of years gone by, were present on the area in 1935. Under careful management, these geese reproduced with heartening success. As many as 100 broods or more are now produced in good years. In summer the marshes literally teem with young and adult coots and eared grebes. Sora rails and American bitterns can often be seen or heard throughout the wetlands on summer evenings.
Shorebirds are common during the summer and also stop at the refuge during migration.
Whitetail deer and pronghorn antelope are common residents, and mule deer are seen occasionally. Other mammals include whitetail jackrabbits, mountain cottontails, Richardson ground squirrels, coyotes, and striped skunks. Visiting the Refuge Refuge roads are open to the public for wildlife observation and photography. The best time to observe the massive migrating flocks of waterfowl is in early fall or late spring. In March and April, nesting flocks of Canada geese and ducks return to the marshes, and the first broods can be seen about the first of May. Public hunting of waterfowl and upland birds is permitted on a portion of the refuge.