Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge in east-central Minnesota, about five miles south of McGregor, was established in 1935 to protect wetland habitat for waterfowl. Centered on the shallow 3,600-acre Rice Lake, it is especially known for wild rice, a key food source for migrating birds such as ring-necked ducks and a major reason the area was designated a Globally Important Bird Area. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge also supports a remarkable native bigmouth buffalo population that gathers each spring to spawn. As of 2024, their unusual longevity made this one of the oldest known animal populations in the world.