The non-profit organization Friends of the Mead/McMillan Association, Inc. assist with raising funds to support the area's activities.

They were drained by digging ditches and dredging and straightening a five-mile (8 km) section of the Little Eau Pleine River.

The dam on the Little Eau Pleine River, which would have created the second largest lake in Wisconsin with 27,500 acres (111 km2), was not built due to opposition from conservationists and local residents.

The Area encompasses different ecosystems including grasslands, conifer bogs, hardwood forests, wetlands, ponds (reservoirs), uplands, and agricultural fields.

Various universities and state and federal government wildlife agencies conduct research on the property.

Target audiences include elementary aged school children and environmental education teachers.

The 6,208-square-foot (576.7 m2) Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center was constructed in 2005, and includes sustainable design methods and renewable energy technologies such as environmentally-responsible construction methods, environmentally-responsible materials, high-performance building envelope, passive solar and cool day lighting, active solar heating for domestic hot water, geothermal heating and cooling, wind-turbine generated electricity, solar photovoltaic generated electricity, biomass wood heat, and high-performance mechanical systems.

[2] The Center was built largely through private funds and in-kind donations of materials and services, totaling $1.6 million.

[3] The Center, along with other buildings, houses the WDNR staff, resource management equipment and is used for environmental education.