Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in Aitkin County in east central Minnesota, five miles south of the community of McGregor.

[2] The refuge has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy due to the importance of the lake and its wild rice as a food source to migrating waterfowl, especially ring-necked ducks.

[3] Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge has also recently become known for its population of native bigmouth buffalo that migrate to Rice Lake each spring during their annual spawning migration.

Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

[8] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.