The Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge (French: Réserve Naturelle Faunique Nationale du Grand- Côte) was established in 1989 as part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge was once part of the large contiguous Mississippi River bottomland hardwood forest.

Topography of the refuge is characterized by a large depressional basin that fills with shallow water from winter rains and backwater flooding.

The area was poorly suited for farming, but provided ideal shallow flooded habitat preferred by many waterfowl and shorebird species.

A special emphasis is placed on providing shallow flooded rice; native moist soil plant fields preferred by northern pintails.