Soda Lake Wildlife Management Area
The Franks Tract is located on LA 3049/Dixie Shreveport Road approximately 5 miles north from its intersection with LA 538/Old Mooringsport Road and 5 miles south from its intersection with LA 173/Dixie Blanchard Road.
Located just 15 minutes from Shreveport, Soda Lake Wildlife Management Area is a watery 3,500+ acre natural area dominated by upland and bottomland hardwood forests, lakes, bayous, and canals.
Birders visit Soda Lake WMA primarily during spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) migration periods. That’s when many neotropical woodland songbirds are coursing through the woodlands. Various waterfowl (Wood and Ruddy Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, and other geese and ducks) and raptors (Red-tailed and Cooper’s Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Barred Owl, and Bald Eagle, to name a few), populate Egan Lake and the reservoirs. Moreover, this site is rich with year-round and overwintering woodland species. In all, 119 species have been observed here, including 14 types of warblers.
Of particular interest is the raised bluff of Twelve Mile Bayou on the western edge of the tract, which supports a diverse forest. The dominant trees are estimated to be 100 to 130 years old. Two rare Louisiana plant species, American alumroot (Heuchra americana) and lowland brittle fern (Cystopteris protrusa) have been found growing on the north and east-facing bluffs.
Access to either the northern or southern ends of the tract is by boat or walk-in/ATV only. Fishing is the primary recreational activity at Twelve-Mile Bayou, Lake Egan, and its reservoirs. Hunting is allowed on a limited basis.
