The preserve was created in 1995 by the Nature Conservancy thanks to a $2.2 million donation of land by ExxonMobil.

[1][2] The primary goal in creating the preserve was to save the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken, though the preserve protects coastal prairie and supports a wide variety of wildlife.

[1] The terrain of the preserve includes prairie and wetland habitats, enabled in large part by restoration efforts in recent decades.

[4] The preserve is part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, a network of preserves and trails along the Texas coast featuring habitats for birds and other wildlife.

In 2010 a paper was presented at a Society of Petroleum Engineers conference stating that the original well "died in March 2003, and was unable to flow due to excessive water production."