It was designated a wetland of international importance on World Environment Day, June 5, 2005, and is the thirty-seventh such site in Canada.

[2] The wetland satisfies all the inclusion criteria of the Ramsar Convention.

It is maintained by the Columbia Wetlands Wildlife Management Area (CWWMA, designated in 1996) and administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

It is "one of the longest intact wetlands in North America",[3] is the headwaters for the Columbia River system, and "comprises a regionally unparalleled diversity".

The extensive wetland provides habitat for several endangered species, including the peregrine falcon and American badger.