The Refuge was established in 1966 as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers John Redmond Reservoir flood control project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 18,463 acres upstream of the reservoir, most of which is in the floodplain of the Neosho River. Refuge habitats are managed to provide food and habitat for migratory birds and resident wildlife.

Grassland restoration involves planting native, warm season grasses on the dry, upland sites and prairie cordgrass on the lower, wetter fields. Tree removal and prescribed burns are necessary to maintain these habitats. Noxious weeds also threaten the integrity of the grassland habitats. Bur oaks line the upper reaches of the Neosho River as well as many of its tributaries. To remove undesirable trees and to create openings for natural bur oak regeneration, the Refuge staff uses prescribed fire. Opportunities also exist for planting bur oaks to expand riparian habitat.

Wetland creation and management are also habitat management priorities. Nearly 2,000 acres of wetlands are intensively managed to produce food for migratory and wintering waterfowl. Mowing, burning, and discing are used to encourage the growth of seed-producing annual plants and discourage tree growth in these created wetlands. Water levels are manipulated to make these foods available to waterfowl.

Water management also creates habitat for migrating shorebirds. Water is held in the wetlands late in the spring and then natural runoff is captured during mid-summer to provide the shallow water mudflat habitat required by sandpipers and plovers. During spring, these shorebirds use moist soil vegetation as shelter against the winds.