Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge consists of 3 separate places: the North Unit, Willow Creek Unit and Lake Mason Unit. The history behind the refuge is unique; easements were signed in 1937 to provide an area for nesting migratory birds. However, it wasn't until 1941 when the area became a refuge. Acquisition of the lands did not occur until 1959 when 11,740 acres of scattered Bankhead-Jones lands (lands which were originally homesteaded but later ceded back to the government after attempts to homestead failed) were transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the USFWS. Subsequent management of the lands for wildlife was impossible due to the scattered nature of the lands until recently, when land exchanges created 3 contiguous parcels.

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