Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico
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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 .
Gaillardia pulchella
Tansy
Giant goldenrod
Big goat beard
Zinnia acerosa
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)