It was established in 1939 and is famous as the northern nesting site for reintroduction of an eastern United States population of the endangered whooping crane.

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is located within the 7,800-square-mile (20,000 km2) Great Central Wisconsin Swamp, the largest wetland bog in the state.

In 2001, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership raised whooping crane (Grus americana) chicks in the refuge before guiding them to Florida's Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, utilizing ultra-light aircraft to teach the birds the migratory pathway.

[1] Other threatened or rare species at the site include the Karner blue butterfly, massasauga rattlesnake, Blanding's turtle, and wolf packs.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.