Lost Lake is a 960 acre easement refuge in southern McLean County. The refuge consisting of a 200 acre alkali lake and 760 acres of rolling native prairie. The FWS has flowage and wildlife protection rights on the area. Painted Woods Creek meanders through a large portion of the Refuge. The prairie grasslands are grazed heavily each year under private ownership and management. In 1992, a one acre island and a peninsula cut-off were created on the lake to provide safe nesting and loafing habitat for birds. A Ducks Unlimited project to rehab the existing, degraded diversion dam and diversion channel (from Painted Woods Creek into Lost Lake) made it possible to divert water from the creek into the lake. The water development has increased the refuge's wildlife benefits. In September of 1992, 200 Canada Geese, 1,000 ducks and 600 shorebirds were observed using the refuge area.