[3] The refuge overlays the 1,600-acre (650 ha) Cold Springs Reservoir, a component of the Umatilla Basin Project.

The U.S. Reclamation Service built the Cold Springs Dam to supply irrigation water for local agriculture in this arid and seasonally-cold desert region.

[4] Management has broadened to include conservation and restoration of native habitat and species characteristic to this desert ecosystem.

Refuge wetlands support large numbers of wintering waterfowl while adjacent riparian habitat supports an abundance of songbirds and healthy populations of western mule deer and desert elk.

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