Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location	Brown County, South Dakota, U.S.
Nearest city	Aberdeen, S.D.
Coordinates	45°46′21″N 98°15′9″W / 45.77250°N 98.25250°W / 45.77250; -98.25250Coordinates: 45°46′21″N 98°15′9″W / 45.77250°N 98.25250°W / 45.77250; -98.25250
Area	21,498 acres (87 km2)
Established	1935 (1935)
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Sand Lake NWR
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	August 3, 1998

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Created in 1935, it is a wetlands of international importance and a Globally Important Bird Area. Over 260 bird species are found in the refuge, including many migratory bird species and the world's largest breeding colony of Franklin's gulls.

In the late 1880s, the Sand Lake area was settled by farmers. Their agricultural practices depleted wildlife habitat and caused a severe decline in waterfowl numbers. The US Congress established the refuge in 1935 to preserve wildlife habitat and breeding grounds.

The Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeastern South Dakota, and covers 21,498 acres (8,700 ha) of wildlife habitat. It is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which covers over 550 such refuges in the US. The system is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior. The Sand Lake Wetland Management District, which focuses on the conservation of wetland and grassland habitat on private property, is run through the wildlife refuge. The program is the largest such district in the country, and manages properties in eight counties. The refuge hosts around 75,000 visitors annually.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one of the refuges listed in the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, which was signed in 1971 and entered into force in the US in 1987. It is one of 35 such sites in the US, which cover a total of 4,515,100 acres (1,827,196 ha). Sand Lake was designated on August 3, 1998 and covers 21,000 acres (8,700 ha). As a "large freshwater cattail marsh", it was selected as a refuge due to being a "critical nesting and staging habitat" for numerous species of birds, including tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl. The wetlands are a popular tourist attraction, with thousands of visitors each year.