Franklin Lake

Franklin Lake is a valley playa fed by the Franklin River in Elko County, Nevada, US. Located 65 miles (105 km) southeast of the city of Elko, it is adjacent to the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The area's habitat, 15,400 acres (6,200 ha) in size, consists of wetlands, an ephemeral lake, marshes, riparian woodland, alkali playa, shrub steppe, and grassland. While mostly under private ownership, parts are owned by the The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management; the Franklin Lake Wildlife Management Area is owned by the Nevada Division of Wildlife. When the area is wet, hundreds of thousands of waterfowl visit Franklin Lake. Avifauna include the American Avocet, Greater Sandhill Crane, Forster's Ter, Caspian Tern, Black Tern, Greater Sage-Grouse, Franklin's Gulls, American White Pelican, Brewer's Sparrow and Sage Sparrow.