Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
| Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | |||
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| Location: | Oklahoma , United States | ||
| Next city: | Lawton | ||
| Surface: | 238.8 km² | ||
| Founding: | 1901 | ||
| Visitors: | 1.5 million (2012) | ||
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The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma . It is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service .
history
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1901 as a forest reserve and in 1905 it was partly converted into a wildlife refuge, partly supplemented to provide a habitat for bison and other endangered animals. In 1970, part of the area was declared the Charon Gardens Wilderness Area .
geology
The Wichita Mountains are geologically very old. They originated around 500 million years ago.
Flora and fauna
Flora and fauna are characterized by a diversity that is unusual for the region. There is a mix of species that are typical of the Southwest and Eastern United States.
In the dry areas, the prairie landscape - typical of the Great Plains - can be observed. The soil is barren and partly desert-like. In contrast, oak forests exist in the damp areas, with the black oak being the most common of the at least eight tree species.
The animal species living in the nature reserve include more than 50 mammals, 240 to 280 birds, around 60 reptiles and amphibians and around 35 fish. The fauna of large animals that after the establishment of the park is dominated ausgewildert were. A bison herd was established in 1907; today it has a size of 650 individuals. A herd of elk was built between 1908 and 1912. Today there are 700 animals. The Texan Longhorn was brought to the Wichita Mountains in 1927. There are 300 individuals today. The Texas rattlesnake is one of the most dangerous animals in the reserve .
geography
location
The Wichita Mountains are located in southwest Oklahoma. The park protects its eastern part while there is the Quartz Mountain Nature Park in its west . The reserve is entirely within Comanche County . With an area of 238.8 square kilometers, it is about the size of the island of Malta . The nearest major town is Lawton . The distance to the capital Oklahoma City is about 135 kilometers as the crow flies. It borders the Fort Sill military base to the south and Lake Lawtonka to the east .
climate
According to Köppen, the Wichita Mountains are in the humid subtropical climatic zone (Cfa). Tornadoes pose a threat in spring. Summers are dry and hot. Extreme cold and snow are rare in winter; Frost occurs mainly at night.
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Average Monthly Temperatures and Rainfall for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (1981-2010)
Source: Western Regional Climate Center
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mountains
The highest point in the nature reserve is the 755 meter high Mount Pinchot , followed by Mount Scott (751 m) and Mount Sheridan (742 m). Other high mountains are outside the reserve. The most prominent mountain is Mount Scott, which is very popular with climbers.
Waters
There are numerous lakes, including reservoirs, and rivers of various sizes.
Transport links
There are two roads that run through the park. The Oklahoma State Highway 115 runs north-south in; the Oklahoma State Highway 49 in the east-west direction. The latter connects the area with Lawton, where Interstate 44 connects to Oklahoma City and Tulsa in the north and Wichita Falls in the south.
There are five entrances and exits to the park from both streets: an east exit to Medicine Park , a south exit to Cache , a south- west exit to Indiahoma , a west exit that does not lead to any place and a north exit to Meers .
Tourism and leisure
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is one of the most popular destinations in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation named it "the most beautiful place" in the state. Between 1999 and 2012, the number of visitors fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.8 million a year, with a slight upward trend. The average was 1.5 million.
Overnight stays
There are two campsites in the nature reserve :
- The Doris Campground is located in the immediate vicinity of Quanah Parker Lake.
- Fawn Creek Campground is located near the Charon Gardens Wilderness Area.
activities
- There are a total of nine hiking trails with a total length of 25 kilometers. The longest is the Bison Trail with a distance of nine kilometers; the shortest is the Quanah Parker Trail at 0.6 kilometers.
- Fishing is generally allowed on the lakes.
- The mountains offer good conditions for climbing .
Attractions
The Holy City of the Wichitas has had a Passion Play since 1926 , making it the oldest in the United States.
panorama
literature
- Cletis T. Eskew: The Flowering Plants of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (= American Midland Naturalist . Volume 20 ). University of Notre Dame , 1938.
- James Kavanagh: Field Guide to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge: An Introduction to Familiar Plants and Animals (= Pocket Naturalist Guides ). Waterford Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-58355-757-0 .
- Gary Lantz: Morning Comes to Elk Mountain: Dispatches from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge . University of North Texas Press, 2013, ISBN 1-57441-527-1 .
Web links
- Information on the side of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52700/52788/DOT-VNTSC-FWS-14-01.pdf#22
- ↑ Oklahoma State University: WICHITA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, 2007 (copy in the Internet Archive)
- ↑ http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Wichita_Mountains/about/history.html
- ^ A b Russell D. Butcher: America's National Wildlife Refuges. Taylor Trade Publications, 2008, ISBN 978-1-589-79410-8 , p. 218 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from August 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Cletis T. Eskew: The Flowering Plants of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. In: American Midland Naturalist. 20, 1938, p. 695, doi : 10.2307 / 2420302 .
- ↑ http://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/ONPR/article/viewFile/115/102
- ↑ Keith Carter, Pablo Rodriguez, Micheal Dunn: An Updated Flora of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. In: Oklahoma Native Plant Record. 8, 2008, p. 45, doi : 10.22488 / okstate.17.100061 .
- ^ Third rattlesnake bite this year. In: kswo.com. October 22, 2007, accessed June 8, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.summitpost.org/page/171222
- ↑ http://www.luftlinie.org/Oklahoma-City/Wichita-Mountains-Wildlife-Refuge
- ↑ a b c http://www.summitpost.org/page/171222#chapter_14
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52700/52788/DOT-VNTSC-FWS-14-01.pdf#31
- ↑ http://www.travelok.com/article_page/ten-most-beautiful-places-in-oklahoma
- ↑ http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Wichita_Mountains/activities/camp.html
- ↑ a b http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/map-trails.pdf
- ↑ http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Wichita_Mountains/visit/activities/wildlife_trails.html
- ↑ http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/Fishing.cfm?ID=21670
- ↑ http://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.18990