Located in the central section of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, the Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge is an integral part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of six National Wildlife Refuges, all of them managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuges are located in the central sections of the U.S. state of Montana. The complex includes the following areas:*Charles M...

 and is managed from the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and at 1,100,000 acres is the largest refuge in Montana, United States. Created in 1936, the refuge was named after famed painter of the American West, Charles M. Russell...

. A 300 acre (1.2 km²) lake helps provide some of the finest migratory bird habitat in central Montana. The refuge area is a combination of lease land, refuge easement and a Waterfowl Production Area. At least 200 species of birds have been identified at the refuge.