Lambs Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Nelson County, North Dakota, is a limited-interest refuge managed within the Devils Lake Wetland Management District. Rather than being federally owned, it is private land covered by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easement that allows habitat management while ownership stays with the landowner. This form of refuge emerged in the 1930s and 1940s as waterfowl populations declined and Great Depression programs sought to create work. At Lambs Lake, as at similar places, easements gave the federal government authority to regulate water levels and limit hunting. The refuge is closed to public access, but wildlife may be viewed from nearby public roads.