[3][7][8] Native Americans used the Warner Valley's lakes and wetland for thousands of years before the first white explorers arrived.

The Greaser Petroglyph Site, located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Crump Lake, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[9][10] In 1867, General George Crook decided to build a fort in the Warner Valley to prevent Indian raiding parties from passing through the area.

Known as the Stone Bridge, it was actually a quarter mile long causeway constructed by hauling basalt boulders and smaller rocks from the slopes of nearby Hart Mountain and dumping them into the marsh.

In the 1990s, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife attempted to restore the island, but wind and wave action quickly eroded it away again.

In 2008, the United States Army Corps of Engineers built a 1 acre (0.40 ha) nesting site at the location of the original island.

It was specifically designed to resist erosion and the surface was covered with sand and gravel to create nesting habitat for Caspian terns.

[3][4][5][15][22] The water clarity in Crump Lake is murky due to the presence of suspended organic particles.

In fact, the amount of nutrients in the lake is very high with significant concentrations of phosphorus and chlorophyll indicating a hypereutrophic condition.

The area along the lake's eastern shore is typical high desert scrubland dominated by big sagebrush.

The redband trout and a small population of Warner suckers are found in Twelvemile Creek as well as the lake.

In addition to the native fish, crappie, smallmouth bass, and bullhead catfish have been introduced into the Crump Lake.

Species that nest in the areas around Hart Lake include sandhill cranes, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, willets, Wilson's phalaropes, American coots, gadwalls, northern shovelers, black-crowned night herons, Canada geese, and numerous varieties of ducks and terns.

In addition, white-faced ibis, great white egrets, and American avocets are found in the marshes and along the lake shores.

There are observation blinds maintained by the Bureau of Land Management at the near-by Warner Wetlands Interpretive Site where American bitterns, black-necked stilts, cinnamon teal, tundra swans, Brewer's blackbirds, western meadowlarks, swallows, and nighthawks are commonly seen.

The valley around Crump Lake also hosts mountain chickadees, Cassin's finches, black-headed grosbeaks, green-tailed towhees, yellow-rumped warblers, MacGillivray's warblers, mountain bluebirds, white-headed woodpeckers, burrowing owls, and flammulated owls.

In addition, the land along the north side of the lake is part of the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge which is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

These public lands offer numerous recreational opportunities including fishing, bird watching, boating, hunting, and camping.