White River National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1935. The refuge is 3-10 miles wide and encompassing 90 of the lower 100 miles of the White River. It also includes 3 miles of the Arkansas Post Canal which is part of the Army Corps of Engineers' McClellan-Kerr Navigation System on the Arkansas River.
The refuge has the largest concentration of wintering mallard ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. It also has large concentrations of snow and canadian geese. The refuge is home to a population of black bears and four active bald eagle nests.
The refuge has 356 natural and man-made lakes which make up 4,000 acres of the refuge. There are 154,000 acres of forestland, 900 acres of agricultural land, and 1,000 acres of grassland.
The refuge is classified as a Wetland of International Importance.