Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in northwestern North Dakota extending from the Canada–United States border toward Kenmare along Des Lacs Lake. Established in 1935 through a Civilian Conservation Corps project to protect waterfowl, it encompasses 19,500 acres within the Upper Souris River Basin, a glacially carved landscape of lakes, coulees, and rolling slopes that supports varied habitat. The refuge is considered one of the nation’s most important bird sanctuaries, hosting tens of thousands of migrating and breeding birds. Long before its creation, southern Assiniboin peoples lived here. Elk, moose, bison, and pronghorn also inhabit the refuge.