Its shortgrass prairies spill into marshes, woodlands, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-carved canyon walls that together form 7,664 acres (31.02 km2) of homes for migratory and year-round wildlife.

[3] Buffalo Lake NWR lies within a canyon carved by Tierra Blanca Creek, an ephemeral stream that stretches across northern portions of the Llano Estacado.

At the same time, as the sole creek bed within a large drainage basin in a region prone to frequent and intense thunderstorms, it often suffers the destructive effects of flash floods.

A large flood control structure, called Umbarger Dam, was constructed to impound the waters of Tierra Blanca Creek and form Buffalo Lake within the boundaries of the wildlife refuge.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.