Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide a means of working with individuals, groups, private organizations, and government entities to permanently preserve a portion of the remaining remnant tracts of northern tallgrass prairie in Minnesota and Iowa. The Fish and Wildlife Service is acquiring remnant prairie tracts for the refuge in both easement and fee title interests from willing sellers. Presently, the refuge is approximately 1,800 acres in size and consists of eight easement and four fee title tracts in seven Minnesota counties and one Iowa county. Field administration of all units acquired for the refuge will occur from eight existing Fish and Wildlife Service Wetland Management District and National Wildlife Refuge offices scattered throughout the project area established for the refuge. When a tract of land is acquired for the refuge within the work area for one of these offices, the office will assume adiminstrative authority for the tract. The project leader of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge is responsible for overseeing the administration of the entire refuge.

Refuge lands are/will be located at widely scattered locations throughout western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa. The project leader of Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge is located at the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge office, approximately eight miles east of Ortonville, MN, and one mile west of Odessa, MN. From Highway 7/75, take Big Stone County Road #19 south approximately three quarters of a mile.