Little Sahara State Park Resource Management Plan 2013 [Updated April 2015]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Little Sahara State Park Resource Management Plan 2013 [Updated April 2015] Woods County, Oklahoma Hungling (Stella) Liu, Ph.D. Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. Kaowen (Grace) Chang, Ph.D. Michael Bradley, Ph.D. This page intentionally left blank. ii Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the assistance of numerous individuals in the preparation of this Resource Management Plan. On behalf of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department’s Division of State Parks, staff members were extremely helpful in providing access to information and in sharing of their time. The essential staff providing assistance for the development of the RMP included Jason Badley, manager of Little Sahara State Park; Greg Grimsley, assistant manager of Little Sahara State Park; Steve Rogers, ranger; JoAnn Urban, accounting tech; and Bruce Divis, Regional Manager of the Western Region, with assistance from other members of the staff throughout Little Sahara State Park. Assistance was also provided by Deby Snodgrass, Kris Marek, and Doug Hawthorne – all from the Oklahoma City office of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Special appreciation is expressed to Steve Rogers for providing a tour of the dunes to research staff. It is the purpose of the Resource Management Plan to be a living document to assist with decisions related to the resources within the park and the management of those resources. The authors’ desire is to assist decision-makers in providing high quality outdoor recreation experiences and resources for current visitors, while protecting the experiences and the resources for future generations. Lowell Caneday, Ph.D., Regents Professor Leisure Studies Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078 i Abbreviations and Acronyms ADAAG ................................................. Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines CCC...................................................................................................... Civilian Conservation Corps CDC ...................................................................................................... Centers for Disease Control CLEET ........................................................ Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training CPSC ................................................................................... Consumer Product Safety Commission GIS ............................................................................................... Geographic Information Systems GPS ......................................................................................................... Global Positioning System EPA ............................................................................................. Environmental Protection Agency mcf ........................................................................................................................ million cubic feet MCL .................................................................................................. Maximum Contaminate Level NAAQS ............................................................................. National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAWQA ................................................................... National Water Quality Assessment Program NEPA ........................................................................................ National Environmental Policy Act NPRM ........................................................................................... Notice of Proposed Rule Making OSU.................................................................................... Oklahoma State University – Stillwater OTRD .................................................................... Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department OWRB........................................................................................ Oklahoma Water Resources Board PBCR ............................................................................................. Primary body contact recreation pH ........................................................................................................... potential for hydrogen ions ppm ......................................................................................................................... parts per million R .............................................................................................................................................. Range RMP ...................................................................................................... Resource Management Plan SCORP ............................................................ Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan T .........................................................................................................................................Township USACE .............................................................................. United States Army Corps of Engineers USFWS .............................................................................. United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS ............................................................................................ United States Geological Survey WBDO .............................................................................................. Waterborne Disease Outbreak ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... i Abbreviations and Acronyms ......................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Mission Statement of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department .................................. ix Vision Statement ............................................................................................................................ ix OTRD Values................................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Resource Management Plan: Purpose and Process ..................................................................... 1 Planning Process ..................................................................................................................... 1 Agencies Involved .................................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2 – Project Description ...................................................................................................... 5 About Little Sahara State Park .................................................................................................... 5 Purpose and Significance of Little Sahara State Park ............................................................. 5 Geographic Location of Little Sahara State Park ................................................................... 6 Community and Regional Context ............................................................................................. 8 Brief History of Woods County .............................................................................................. 8 Demographic and Socioeconomic Conditions and Impact ................................................... 10 Regional and Park History .................................................................................................... 14 Archeology of Little Sahara State Park ................................................................................ 15 Climate and Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 16 Topography ........................................................................................................................... 17 Geology ................................................................................................................................. 18 Soil ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................. 23 Vegetative Cover .................................................................................................................. 24 Wildlife ................................................................................................................................. 26 Accessibility .............................................................................................................................. 27 Little Sahara State Park and the Local Economy ..................................................................... 30 iii Chapter 3 – Current Status of the Resource .................................................................................. 31 Recreational Development .......................................................................................................