The National Wildlife Refuge System in North Dakota is part of a network of lands managed to protect and sustain wildlife, conserve habitat, and provide recreation. The system includes national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts, and North Dakota has more national wildlife refuges than any other state, with 63 refuges covering more than 340,000 acres of wetland and upland habitat and 11 wetland management districts with over 280,000 acres of waterfowl production areas. Easement refuges are managed with private landowners to protect and enhance wildlife habitat, and two national fish hatcheries, Garrison Dam and Valley City, preserve native fish and support recreational fishing. These lands are important for waterfowl, migratory birds, and other wildlife and offer hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, auto tours, nature trails, and environmental education programs. Chase Lake NWR has the largest American white pelican colony in the United States, 4,155 acres of wilderness, and recognition as a Globally Important Bird Area; Arrowwood NWR lies along four riverine lakes on the James River and includes the Historic Ft. Totten National Recreation Trail and an auto tour route; Des Lacs NWR is known for migrating snow geese and tundra swans and has a 19-mile scenic backway; Audubon NWR offers an 8-mile auto tour and views of Lake Audubon; Lostwood NWR has one of the nation’s highest known populations of sharp-tailed grouse and a 5,577 acre wilderness area; Sullys Hill National Game Preserve NWR provides opportunities to see bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and neotropical birds; Lake Ilo NWR preserves cultural resources showing more than 11,000 years of use by prehistoric hunters and gathers; J. Clark Salyer NWR is the state’s largest and most diverse refuge, located along 45 miles of the South River with a 13-mile canoe trail; Tewaukon NWR is the only refuge in North Dakota in the northern tall grass prairie and supports species such as the Dakota Skipper and Regal Fritillary; Upper Souris NWR extends along 35 miles of the Souris River, offers year-round fishing, and is designated a Globally Important Bird Area; and Long Lake NWR supports diverse waterfowl and shore birds and is nationally recognized as one of the nation’s top ten birding hot spots.