Fort Cobb State Park Resource Management Plan Caddo County, Oklahoma Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. Hung Ling (Stella) Liu, Ph.D. I-Chun (Nicky) Wu, Ph.D. Tyler Tapps, Ph.D. 5/15/2015 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 Virgil Walker, manager of Fort Cobb State Park; Jerret Sanders, ranger; Kevin Bean, ranger; Ronald Locke, Traye Opitz, and Ernie Summers from the Fort Cobb State Park golf course; and Bruce Divis, Regional Manager of the Western Region, with assistance from other members of the staff throughout Fort Cobb State Park. JaRae John, Lorrie Weidenmaier, and Lanorma Darnell provided insight from their years of experience at Fort Cobb State Park Trent Parish and Precious Braggs from the Bureau of Reclamation participated in meetings and provided important linkages between the state park and the federal water project. 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. 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 BA ................................................................................................................... biological assessment BIA ............................................................................................................. Bureau of Indian Affairs BO ........................................................................................................................ biological opinion CCC...................................................................................................... Civilian Conservation Corps CDC ...................................................................................................... Centers for Disease Control CFR ...................................................................................................... Code of Federal Regulations CLEET ........................................................ Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training CPSC ................................................................................... Consumer Product Safety Commission DOI ............................................................................................................... Department of Interior EA ............................................................................................................ environmental assessment EIS.................................................................................................. environmental impact statement EPA ............................................................................................. Environmental Protection Agency ESA ............................................................................................................ Endangered Species Act FACA .......................................................... Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463 FLPMA ............................................................ Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 GIS ................................................................................................. geographic information systems GPS .......................................................................................................... global positioning system 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 NHPA ......................................................................................... National Historic Preservation 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 iii ppm ......................................................................................................................... parts per million R .............................................................................................................................................. Range Reclamation ................................................................................................. Bureau of Reclamation RMP ...................................................................................................... Resource Management Plan ROS ............................................................................................. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum SCORP ............................................................ Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan SHPO ......................................................................................... State Historic Preservation Officer 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 WROS ...............................................................................Water Recreation Opportunity Spectrum iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix Mission Statement of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department .................................. xi Vision Statement ............................................................................................................................ xi OTRD Values................................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Resource Management Plan: Purpose and Process ..................................................................... 1 Planning Process ..................................................................................................................... 1 Authorization and Agencies Involved .................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2 – Project Description ...................................................................................................... 5 About Fort Cobb State Park ........................................................................................................ 5 Purpose and Significance of Fort Cobb State Park ................................................................. 5 Geographic Location of Fort