2646 90th Ave SE, Spiritwood, ND 58481
Sanctuary :
Open Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Just 12 miles northeast of Jamestown, North Dakota, the 2,300-acre Alkali Lake Sanctuary is a vibrant mosaic of intact native and restored grasslands, wetlands, and riparian woodlands. Nestled within an agricultural landscape, this sanctuary offers critical refuge for hundreds of resident, migratory, and nesting bird species in one of North America's most vital flyways.
91°µÍø Great Plains manages the sanctuary in partnership with local ranchers, neighbors, and conservation professionals, blending science-based stewardship with community collaboration. The result is a living classroom and conservation model that benefits both biodiversity and people.
Amid significant grassland habitat loss over the past century, protecting and restoring grasslands is critical to grassland bird conservation. Alkali Lake Sanctuary plays a key role in sustaining grassland and wetland species whose populations are in steep decline. From American Avocets to Bobolinks, the sanctuary is a beacon of hope for birds that depend on healthy prairie and wetland ecosystems.
The Sanctuary is open to the public from sunrise to sunset. The buildings on-site are not open to the public; restrooms are not available. No smoking on site.
Visiting Edward M. Brigham III Alkali Lake Sanctuary offers an opportunity to quickly escape into the solitude of the prairie in eastern North Dakota’s Prairie Pothole region. Encompassing a serene landscape with something for everyone, visitors can enjoy a rustic adventure where birdwatching, photography, fishing, and other wildlife-compatible activities are encouraged. Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash at all times.
To get to the sanctuary, take the Jametown Exit (exit 258) from I-94. Go north on ND-20 (it has multiple jogs through town) for 10.6 miles. Turn right (east) on 27th Street SE and go 4 miles. Turn left (north) on 90th Ave SE, and go a half mile to the house site.
For more information about the property or to contribute to its restoration, please contact the Fargo, ND office at 701-298-3373.
Edward M. Brigham III Alkali lake hosts a wide variety of resident, nesting, and migrating birds. On the lake you may see ducks, geese, grebes, gulls, cormorants, and pelicans. Along the shorelines and in the wetlands surrounding the lake you will often find egrets, herons, and a wide variety of shorebirds. The uplands host western meadowlarks, multiple species of sparrows, and sharp-tailed grouse, among other grassland species. The riparian woodlands and shelterbelts host migrating and nesting warblers, woodpeckers, chickadees, and more.
There is an area that can be explored on minimum maintenance roads and seasonal trails. Visitors are encouraged to park near the garage and bird on foot from there.
Guests may explore beyond the roads and trails and should leave gates as the find them; open if they were open, closed if they were closed. Guests are asked not to enter any area where livestock are present.
Alkali Lake is well known as a top-notch walleye fishery and one of only two lakes in North Dakota where you can catch zander, a relative of the walleye native to Europe. A was installed in 2022 on the north end of the Sanctuary in partnership with North Dakota Game and Fish.
Deer hunting is limited and permitted only through a special authorization process to help manage deer populations and support the health of the sanctuary’s ecosystem.
Contact the Fargo office at 701-298-3373 for details.
In 2025 a tower was placed near the homesite on the sanctuary. Motus is an international community dedicated to studying the movement and behavior of birds, bats, and insects. The tower at Edward M. Brigham Alkali Lake Sanctuary is part of a network of towers that can track tagged birds, bats, and insects to better understand the migration and habitat needs of at-risk species. To learn more about Motus, visit motus.org.
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