A restoration of the land to native warm season grasses and mixed hardwoods is underway in order to protect the cave groundwater area.

Fields of warm season grasses such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) cover 260 acres (1.1 km2) of land.

The land of the Key Cave NWR area has historically been used for agricultural purposes, primarily in farming cotton.

The area receives its name from William Key, who owned the land the refuge now contains as well as a plantation house on nearby private property.

In 1992, the Monsanto Company sold the land in the highest hazard risk area to The Conservation Fund.

Key Cave NWR also manages several bird species including grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), dickcissels (Spiza americana), northern harriers (Circus cyaneus), short-eared owls (Asio flammeus), loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus), and northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus).