Renovations are complete and a newly improved nature trail is now open at Byrd Lake Natural Area (NA) in Pine Bluff. The site upgrades were made possible by a $69,000 grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Wildlife Observation Trail Program.

“The revitalization of trail facilities and development of interpretive features at Byrd Lake Natural Area will benefit residents of Arkansas statewide and especially the Pine Bluff metropolitan area,” said Chris Colclasure, director of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.

Byrd Lake NA is located in the south Pine Bluff area, less than a quarter of a mile from Olive Street, a main throughfare located off Interstate 530. The area’s location and accessibility provides visitors with a convenient place to observe wildlife while using the new trail.

Byrd Lake NA supports a diverse array of habitats and a wide range of species, including: deer, rabbit, wood ducks, red-shouldered hawks, barred owls and pileated woodpeckers, any of which may be seen year-round from the trails. Green tree frogs, spring peepers, chorus frogs, southern leopard frogs and northern cricket frogs can be heard calling in the spring and summer. Herons and egrets can often be seen stalking some of these amphibians and other species in the shallow waters of the lake, while beavers and a variety of fish move about in the deeper or open areas of the lake.