- The Swanson Lakes Unit is comprised of channeled scabland, featuring plateaus, buttes, numerous pothole lakes, a handful of rim rock lakes, and one intermittent stream. This large diverse unit supports a mix of species, including mule deer, upland game birds, raptors, songbirds, and several reptiles and amphibians. The unit lies within one of the last remaining large areas of shrubsteppe habitat in the Columbia Plateau and is a priority for protection of imperiled species, including the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.
- Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area (wdfw.wa.gov)
The Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area covers approximately 20,900 acres, of which around 1,280 acres are leased from the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Elevation ranges from about 1,640 feet in the southwest to about 2,490 feet in the northeast. Managed as one unit, Swanson Lakes is located in Lincoln County, about 10 miles south of the town of Creston in the upper portion of the Crab Creek Watershed. The Audubon Lake Unit, a 277-acre property at the town of Reardan further east in Lincoln County, is managed separately.