Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico
Clayton Lake State Park
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Picnic area in the park |
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location | Union County in New Mexico (USA) | |
Geographical location | 36 ° 35 ′ N , 103 ° 18 ′ W | |
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Setup date | 1955 as a Recreation Area, since 1967 State Park | |
administration | New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept. | |
particularities | International Dark Sky Park ; Starlight Reserve DSAG 1 (since 2010) |
The Clayton Lake State Park is a State Park 24 km northwest of Clayton in Union County of the US state of New Mexico . The area is accessible from Clayton on State Route 370 . The park is at an altitude of 1580 m .
history
Seneca Creek was dammed in the 1950s by building a dam to Clayton Lake. The dam has a height of 28 m, a crown width of 46 m and covers 300,000 m 3 . Clayton Lake has a surface of 69 hectares. In 1955, the lake area was declared a recreation area by the State Game and Fish Commission. It has been an official state park since 1967. In 1982 the top soil layer of the 46 m wide overflow overflow was washed away by a flood . A layer of rock from the Dakota Group with around 500 dinosaur footsteps was exposed.
geology
The Dakota Formation consists of a layer of rock formed along the shoreline of the Western Interior Seaway . On this coast, migrating dinosaurs led to such a dense accumulation of footprints as can be seen today at the overflow of Clayton Lake. The largest of the three- toed prints is 30 cm long and is assigned to the ornithipod Caririchnium . Most of the traces come from Iguanodon . Other tracks were originally assigned to pterosaurs , but could later be identified as crocodile tracks . 55 tracks of ornithopods run parallel in a northerly direction, at the same point there are also ten tracks of larger ornithopods that have moved in a southern direction. A conclusion from the parallel tracks of different species and the same species of different ages is articulated in a Dinosaur Freeway with migration in both directions.
fauna
Clayton Lake is popular with anglers and sport fishermen for its trout, catfish, perch, and eyeglasses . The sea area is an important resting place for migratory birds. Canada geese , bald eagles and various duck birds such as mallards or pintail ducks can be seen as migratory or resident birds. The state park also features turkeys, deer, elk , bears, coyotes, lynx and pumas.
flora
The vegetation around the lake and on the hills shows different types of goldenrod such as Canadian goldenrod , giant goldenrod , Solidago mollis , Solidago spathulata , Solidago wrightii . Chocolate flower , two-teeth , Eupatorium album , Gaillardia pulchella , Helianthus petiolaris and Heterotheca villosa also inhabit the area. Tansy , Melampodium leucanthum , Rudbeckia pinnata , Ratibida tagetes , dandelion , Big salsify , Zinnia acerosa are present as well as wind plants , bushy Morning Glory , Euphorbia marginata , Dalea candida , Purple Prairie Clover , Dalea purpurea , alfalfa , Melilot , mints and flax .
astronomy
Clayton Lake State Park was the second state park in New Mexico to be equipped with an observatory for astronomical observations, the Star Point Observatory . The building is equipped with a vaulted roof that can be completely rolled away to one side. The astronomical equipment consists of a computer-controlled Meade RCX400 telescope with a 12-inch aperture.
The International Dark-Sky Association awarded Goldendale Observatory State Park a silver award in 2010 , while Clayton Lake State Park received gold. Both state parks were added to the list of International Dark Sky Parks .
Web links
- Clayton Lake State Park near New Mexico State Parks (New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept.)
- Clayton Lake State Park on wildernet.com
- Clayton Lake at ucmp.berkeley.edu
- Dinosaur Tracks along the Trails West on over-land.com
- Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Individual evidence
- ^ Clayton Lake State Park at geoinfo.nmt.edu
- ↑ Clayton Lake at ucmp.berkeley.edu
- ↑ a b Clayton Lake State Park on emnrd.state.nm.us (PDF)
- ↑ WildflowerTour 2007 ( Memento from March 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, p. 23.)
- ↑ Clayton Lake State Park Lake Observatory (images are no longer available)
- ↑ DarkSkyParks ( Memento from July 6, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)
- ↑ DarkSkyPlaces ( Memento of October 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)