http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

The Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge benefitted from a season of drought in North Dakota. Water levels fell after a 20-year wet cycle drew to a close, exposing more land on an island where thousands of pelicans breed and nest. Drought also drove down the populations of some invasive plants, such as Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome. The dry weather also allowed for more progress on projects with private landowners like fencing projects. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), Nov. 28, 2017 Dry conditions at the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge have allowed water levels to recede, revealing more of the main nesting island, according to Neil Shook, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and refuge manager. For years, wet weather caused the lake level to increase, submerging about half, or 12 acres, of the main island, but the recent dryness has allowed the birds more room. The pelicans usually begin arriving in North Dakota in April and remain through September, rearing their young and feeding at small prairie ponds. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), June 22, 2017