Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Rolette County, North Dakota, is managed as part of J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge under a limited-interest model in which the land remains privately owned while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds an easement to manage habitat. Developed as part of a broader approach in the 1930s and 1940s, this system responded to declining waterfowl populations and Great Depression-era work programs by allowing the federal government to regulate water levels and restrict hunting without acquiring full ownership. The refuge itself is not open to public access, though wildlife may be viewed from nearby public roads.