| Coyote Creek State Park | |
|---|---|
  Location of Coyote Creek State Park in New Mexico | |
| Location | Mora, New Mexico, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°55′12″N105°9′50″W / 35.92000°N 105.16389°W /35.92000; -105.16389 |
| Area | 462 acres (187 ha) |
| Elevation | 7,700 ft (2,300 m) |
| Established | 1969[1] |
| Governing body | New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department |
| Website | Official website |
Coyote Creek State Park is astate park ofNew Mexico, United States, preserving ariparian canyon in theSangre de Cristo Mountains. The park is located 17 miles (27 km) north ofMora. Coyote Creek is the most denselystockedtrout stream in New Mexico.[2]
Coyote Creek, a tributary of theMora River, flows almost due south through Guadalupita Canyon. An ridge called La Mesa rises to 9,112 feet (2,777 m) in elevation above the park to the east, and to the west is the Rincon subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.[3] The park is located in the eastern foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an altitude of 7,700 feet (2,300 m). There is an average precipitation of 18 inches (46 cm) per year and an average annual temperature of 46 °F (8 °C). Summer temperatures reaching 90 °F (32 °C) are unusual, though winters are severe with subzero temperatures and heavy snow. The average annual flow of Coyote Creek is about 10,000 acre-feet (12,000,000 m3).[1]
The oldest rocks visible in Coyote Creek State Park were deposited during the LatePennsylvanian andEarly Permian between 320 and 250 million years ago.[1] In ageosyncline at the edge of a great shallow sea,limestone formed underwater is intermixed withsandstone andshale eroded from mountains to the west. The sea retreated and advanced several times and the mountains eventually eroded away. 70 million years ago theLaramide orogeny uplifted the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, steeply tilting the earlier sediments down to the east. New mountain sediments formed a vastalluvial plain. 8 million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions took place to the east, forming theOcate volcanic field.[3] The top of thebasalt flows was 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than the bottom of Guadalupita Canyon is today.[1] Canyons gradually carved into the lava flows were inundated with more basalt by later eruptions, creating areverse stratigraphy where newer deposits are below older deposits.[3] Guadalupita Canyon was carved during thePleistocene epoch when there were smallglaciers in the mountains to the west. The creekbed initially shifted eastward following the eroding edge of the basalt. Upon hitting the softer Pennsylvanian sediments, however, the creek began carving downward, creating a valley with a steep east wall and a more gradual slope to the west.[1]
The riparian zone along the creek is dominated bycoyote willow with somenarrowleaf cottonwood andchokecherry intermixed. East of the creek arewet meadows followed by aponderosa pine forest with anunderstory ofGambel oak. On the west side of the park is a conifer forest ofDouglas fir,limber pine,blue spruce,Engelmann spruce,bristlecone pine,white fir, andquaking aspen, again with aGambel oak understory.[1]Species diversity is lower at the north and south ends of the park. Coyote Creek State Park is known for itswildflowers, such asgeraniums,sunflowers,irises, andprimroses.[3]
Mammals known to inhabit the immediate area includeblack bears,cougars,elk,mule deer,red andgray foxes,bobcats,coyotes,skunks, andporcupines.Beavers have created small pools along the creek with theirdams. These ponds have benefited the game fish, which includerainbow trout,brown trout,Rio Grande cutthroat trout, andwhite suckers. Numerous bird species have been identified in the park, and the endangered southwesternsubspecies of thewillow flycatcher nests and breeds along Coyote Creek.[1]
The Coyote Creek area was inhabited by Native Americans for centuries, although no significant archaeological sites have been found within the park.[1] Settlement by Euro-Americans began in 1837 when three residents ofTaos received a communityland grant from the Mexican government.[4] The Coyote Creek valley was farmed and many sections were held as community property. With the annexation of New Mexico by the United States in 1846, the grant only narrowly succeeded in being honored. HoweverStephen Benton Elkins and Thomas B. Catron began buying up community lands, so in defense the residents of Guadalupita divided up and privatized the remaining common parcels in 1889.[4]
In the early 1930s many of the parcels were consolidated into a ranch owned by Eusebio Romero. A ranch house and the remains of amoonshine shack from this era are still visible in the park.[1] In the late 1960s, as a new owner bought up the ranch, 80 acres (32 ha) surveyed as prime state park material were set aside.[4] This property was purchased by the state on April 24, 1969, for $16,000. The park maintains an official arrangement with anacequia of landowners downstream.[1] Coyote Creek State Park was greatly expanded in size in 2004 with the purchase and donation of 382 acres (155 ha) byThe Trust for Public Land.[4]
Coyote Creek State Park is open year-round, with most visitors coming to fish, hike, camp, and picnic. A 2-mile (3.2 km) trail circles through the park, crossing the creek twice.[1]