Cottonwood Lake National Wildlife Refuge in McHenry County, North Dakota, is managed under J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge and represents a limited-interest refuge, a form developed in the 1930s and 1940s as waterfowl declined and New Deal programs created conservation work. Instead of federal ownership, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds an easement on private land, enabling it to manage habitat by controlling water levels and limiting hunting while the property remains privately owned. Public access is generally unavailable except from neighboring public roads.