Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge

About Us:

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge provides important breeding and migratory habitat for birds and mammals,as well as other wildlife. The Refuge is also a significant resting and wintering area for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, including spectacular concentrations of mallards and Canada geese. Because of it's value to birds, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge has been declared a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. The refuge, establised in 1909 is one of the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System and has an interesting history.

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge has two units Lake Lowell and the Snake River Islands. The Lake Lowell Unit encompasses 10,588 acres, including the almost 9,000 acre Lake Lowell and surrounding lands. The Snake River Islands Unit contains about 800 acres on 101 islands. These islands are distributed along 113 river miles from the Canyon-Ada County Line in Idaho, to Farewell Bend in Oregon.

The Refuge protects a wide range of wildlife habitats: the open waters and wetland edges of Lake Lowell, the sagebrush uplands around the lake, and the grasslands and riparian forests on the Snake River islands. Refuge staff use a variety of wildlife management techniques to create and maintain wildlife habitat. With assistance from local growers, the refuge also cooperatively farms 240 acres to provide food for wildlife.

The variety of habitats makes the refuge an important breeding area for resident and migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge is also a significant resting and wintering area for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, including spectacular concentrations of mallards and Canada geese. 

Deer Flat, founded by President Teddy Roosevelt on February 25, 1909, is one of the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, which now includes over 560 refuges. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the System preserves a network of lands and waters set aside for the conservation and management of the nation's fish, wildlife, and plant resources for the benefit of present and future generations.