Washita National Wildlife Refuge in western Oklahoma’s Custer County was established in 1961 along Foss Lake as the state’s fourth national wildlife refuge. Set where the Washita River passes through prairie and cropland before entering Foss Reservoir, it includes rolling hills, ravines, bottomlands, and open water that support a wide range of wildlife. Its birdlife is especially notable, with 270 species reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including occasional bald eagles and rare whooping cranes. The refuge also shelters animals from white-tailed deer to the state-endangered Texas horned lizard and offers recreation such as birdwatching, boating, hiking, fishing, and limited permitted hunting.