Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge protects wetlands and prairie in southeastern North Dakota, about five miles south of Cayuga on the western edge of the northern tallgrass prairie. The Wild Rice River flows through the refuge into Lake Tewaukon, making it part of a larger network of marsh, water, and grassland habitats. Established in 1945, the refuge covers 8,363 acres within the Prairie Pothole Region, an area known for its exceptional biological productivity and importance to wildlife because of its many wetlands. It is also part of the Tewaukon Wetland Management District, connecting it to broader conservation across the surrounding landscape.