Red Rock Canyon State Park Resource Management Plan 2013 [updated July 2014] Caddo County, Oklahoma Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. Hung Ling (Stella) Liu, Ph.D. Kaowen (Grace) Chang, Ph.D. Michael Bradley, Ph.D. This page intentionally left blank. 2 Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the assistance of numerous individuals in the preparation of this Resource Management Plan (RMP). 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 Bruce Divis, Regional Manager of the Western Region, David Sutton, park manager at Red Rock Canyon State Park, with assistance from other members of the staff throughout OTRD. In particular, assistance was provided by Deby Snodgrass, Kris Marek, and Doug Hawthorne – all from the Oklahoma City office of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Further assistance was provided by park staff as every request for information was handled quickly and efficiently. Similarly, Art Peters and staff at the Hinton Historical Museum provided supporting documents and insight regarding Red Rock Canyon and the history of the area. 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 3 Abbreviations and Acronyms ADAAG ................................................. Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines 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 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 ODWC ................................................................. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation 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 USFWS .............................................................................. United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS ............................................................................................ United States Geological Survey WBDO .............................................................................................. Waterborne Disease Outbreak 4 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3 Abbreviations and Acronyms ......................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 5 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 8 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 9 Mission Statement of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department ................................. 11 Vision Statement ........................................................................................................................... 11 OTRD Values................................................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................................... 13 Resource Management Plan: Purpose and Process ................................................................... 13 Planning Process ................................................................................................................... 13 Agencies Involved ................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 2 – Project Description .................................................................................................... 17 About Red Rock Canyon State Park ......................................................................................... 17 Purpose and Significance of Red Rock Canyon State Park .................................................. 17 Geographic Location of Red Rock Canyon State Park ......................................................... 18 Community and Regional Context ........................................................................................... 20 Brief History of Caddo County ............................................................................................. 20 Demographic and Socioeconomic Conditions and Impact ................................................... 23 Competing and Complementary Recreational Opportunities ............................................... 27 Regional and Park History .................................................................................................... 28 Natural Resources in the Park ................................................................................................... 33 Climate and Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 33 Archeology of Red Rock Canyon State Park ........................................................................ 33 Topography ........................................................................................................................... 33 Geology ................................................................................................................................. 34 Soil ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................. 40 Vegetative Cover .................................................................................................................. 40 Wildlife ................................................................................................................................. 42 5 Accessibility .............................................................................................................................. 44 Chapter 3 – Current Status of the Resource .................................................................................. 46 Recreational Development ........................................................................................................ 46 Entry Drive and Park Environs ............................................................................................