Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota and Iowa preserves surviving remnants of the northern tallgrass prairie through a scattered network of units rather than one continuous preserve. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with private landowners and other partners, it protects fragmented prairie through voluntary easements and purchases from willing owners. The refuge includes about 5,000 acres in 49 units, with most protected by easements and the rest owned by the service. Its decentralized administration reflects its purpose of conserving prairie wherever it remains. Units such as Touch the Sky Prairie and Iowa’s Prairie Smoke Unit show both its ecological value and its working-landscape character.