Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established by executive order on August 28, 1908, in the last year of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. It was the second of two Roosevelt bird sanctuaries in North Dakota. The first was Stump Lake NWR, established March 19, 1905.
Photo courtesy of USFWS Mountain-Prairie, via Wikimedia Commons
With the words, “I do declare it!” Roosevelt invented the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1903, when he used executive authority (and no Congressional authorization) to name the first of his 51 Federal Bird Sanctuaries at Pelican Island in the Indian River in Florida.
Chase Lake came to national attention when it became clear that local recreationists and bird hunters were severely reducing the large population of American White Pelicans. Local naturalists and bird enthusiasts raised concern about the plight of the pelicans. The situation eventually reached the U.S. Department of the Interior and the desk of Roosevelt, who had both a special love of birds and a continuing devotion to North Dakota, where he had spent formative years between 1883 and 1887.
The 4,385-acre Refuge includes Chase Lake itself, native prairie, nesting cover, and an amazing network of wetlands. Chase Lake NWR was designated as a Wilderness Area by the United States Congress in 1975. The undulating prairie surrounding the wildlife refuge is some of the best on the northern Great Plains. Chase Lake has one of the largest and most significant breeding grounds for White Pelicans in the United States. It is typically the home to as many as 30,000 pelicans during the summer months. Because Chase Lake is an alkaline lake and supports virtually no fish species, the pelicans rely principally on the plentiful tiger salamander as a food source.
Today the wildlife refuge and the surrounding area provide breeding and nesting habitat for more than 293 bird species. Chase Lake NWR has been designated as one of America's Top 100 Globally Important Bird Areas (IBA) by the American Bird Conservancy.
So far as we know, Roosevelt never visited Chase Lake on his many trips to and through North Dakota.
What You Will See
At Chase Lake Pass you can take photographs of the lake, which has a number of peninsulas and several key islands where pelican nesting is unharrassed by predators. At the Pass overlook, interpretive signage tells part of the Chase Lake story. The pelicans nest in the spring. For a few weeks per year the islands in the lake are a cacophonous and smelly mess, as the hatchlings compete for food and the dead young decay.
There are few better theaters of white pelican nesting activity in the world.
How to Get There
Chase Lake NWR: From Medina, travel north on Highway 68 for 10 miles. At the big brown sign that says Chase Lake NWR, turn west and drive 7 miles (3 good gravel and 4 miles of 2-track prairie trail). Turn south and drive 1 mile to Chase Lake Pass, the best spot from which to view the refuge.
Chase Lake Office Headquarters and Interpretive Center: From Medina take Highway 68 North to Woodworth (approximately 17 miles). Turn east on highway to 60th Ave SE (approximately 5 miles). Turn south on 60th Ave SE and follow signs to District Headquarters (2 miles). There are Chase Lake Prairie Project signs located at Highway 36 two miles from the office headquarters and also a sign 1/4 mile from headquarters.
Further Reading
Douglas Brinkley. Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. New York, 2010.
Russell D. Butcher. America's National Wildlife Refuges: A Complete Guide. Lanham, MD, 2008.
