Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Randall County, Texas, protects 7,664 acres of varied Panhandle landscape where shortgrass prairie meets marshes, woodlands, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-cut canyon walls. Set in a canyon carved by the erratic Tierra Blanca Creek on the Llano Estacado, the refuge was shaped by cycles of drought and flash flooding that influenced both its landforms and ecology. Umbarger Dam impounds the creek to form shallow Buffalo Lake, which offers roosting habitat for migrating birds. The refuge also supports year-round wildlife such as black-tailed prairie dogs and burrowing owls, and about 175 acres are recognized as a National Natural Landmark.