This refuge provides ideal habitat for a wide range for migratory birds and waterfowl, along with the native wildlife, and any endangered and threatened species.

This wildlife refuge has been designated as a site of regional significance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

When the refuge was first established it only started with 4,682 acres (18.95 km2) and the main idea for it was created to preserve a remnant of the formerly vast Lake Erie coastal wetlands.

The three refuges help protect some of what is left of the Great Black Swamp which is in the heart of Lake Erie marshes.

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