There are several waterfowl refuges in the Great Basin. Locomotive Springs Waterfowl Management Area is wet of Golden Spike National Historic Site. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Harold S. Crane State Waterfowl Management Area, and Ogden Bay State Waterfowl Management Area border the Great Salt Lake, where the fresh water of the Bear and other rivers enters the salt water.

Clear Lake State Waterfowl Management Area is the southernmost of them, more than 20 miles from Delta in the Black Rock Desert. Bird-watching in these areas takes patience but can be rewarding. A variety of birds frequent the refuges. In March, snow geese blanket the Gunnison Bend Reservoir, near Delta, during their northward migration.