McGee Creek State Park Resource Management Plan Atoka County, Oklahoma Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. 6/30/2017 Fatemeh (Tannaz) Soltani, Ph.D. Chang-Heng (Hank) Yang This page intentionally left blank. i 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 Steve Lumpkin, manager of McGee Creek State Park. Assistance was also provided by Kris Marek, Doug Hawthorne, Don Schafer and Ron McWhirter – all from the Oklahoma City office of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Merle Cox, Regional Manager of the Southeastern Region of Oklahoma State Parks also attended these meetings and assisted throughout the project. The September 2016 kick-off meeting included representatives from the Bureau of Reclamation and the McGee Water Authority. As partners in the larger McGee Creek project, these agencies are also “neighbors” for McGee Creek State Park. Attending this kick-off meeting on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation were Ashley Dixon, Meyer Jay, and Precious Braggs. Similarly, Ron Butler, Jim Flynn, and Colt Birdsong from the McGee Water Authority participated in the initial planning discussions. 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 ii Abbreviations and Acronyms ADAAG ................................................. Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines CDC ...................................................................................................... Centers for Disease Control CFR ...................................................................................................... Code of Federal Regulations CLEET ........................................................ Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training CPSC ................................................................................... Consumer Product Safety Commission EPA ............................................................................................. Environmental Protection Agency ESA ............................................................................................................ Endangered Species Act GIS ................................................................................................. geographic information systems GPS .......................................................................................................... global positioning system NEPA ........................................................................................ National Environmental Policy Act NHPA ......................................................................................... National Historic Preservation Act NPRM ........................................................................................... Notice of Proposed Rule Making NSRA .............................................................................................. Natural Scenic Recreation Area OSU.................................................................................... Oklahoma State University – Stillwater OTRD .................................................................... Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department OWRB........................................................................................ Oklahoma Water Resources Board PBCR ............................................................................................. Primary body contact recreation RMP ...................................................................................................... Resource Management Plan RMP/EA ................................................... Resource Management Plan/Environmental Assessment ROS ............................................................................................. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum SCORP ............................................................ Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan SHPO ......................................................................................... State Historic Preservation Officer USFWS .............................................................................. United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS ............................................................................................ United States Geological Survey WBDO .............................................................................................. Waterborne Disease Outbreak WROS ............................................................................... Water Recreation Opportunity Spectrum iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Mission Statement of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department ................................... x Vision Statement ............................................................................................................................. x OTRD Values.................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Resource Management Plan: Purpose and Process ..................................................................... 1 Planning Process ..................................................................................................................... 2 Authorization and Agencies Involved .................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2 – Project Description ...................................................................................................... 6 About McGee Creek State Park .................................................................................................. 6 Purpose and Significance of McGee Creek State Park ........................................................... 6 Geographic Location of McGee Creek State Park .................................................................. 8 Community and Regional Context ............................................................................................. 9 Brief History of Atoka County ............................................................................................... 9 Demographic and Socioeconomic Conditions and Impact ................................................... 11 Competing and Complementary Recreational Opportunities ............................................... 14 Regional and Park History .................................................................................................... 15 Natural Resources in the Park ................................................................................................... 16 Climate and Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 16 Archeology of McGee Creek State Park ............................................................................... 17 Topography ........................................................................................................................... 18 Geology ................................................................................................................................. 18 Soil ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................. 24 Vegetative Cover .................................................................................................................. 27 Wildlife ................................................................................................................................. 27 iv Accessibility .............................................................................................................................. 29 Chapter 3 – Current Status of the Resource .................................................................................. 32 Recreational Development .......................................................................................................