Monahans Sandhills State Park
Encyclopedia
The Monahans Sandhills State Park is a 3840 acres (1,554 ha) state park located in Ward County and Winkler County
, Texas. The closest major town is Monahans, Texas
, and the closest limited-access highway ingress is Exit 86 on Interstate 20
.
s up to 70 feet (21.3 m) high. Although desert-like, the Monahans Sandhills are not a desert; they are a part of a semi-arid
ecosystem (average annual rainfall 12.3 inches (312.4 mm)) characterized by the presence of both groundwater
and relatively nutrient-poor windblown sand
. The Shinoak (Quercus havardii
) is a local climax shrub
, an unusual type of oak tree which because of local conditions often achieves full growth of only 4 feet (1.2 m) in height. Most of a Shinoak's biomass exists in the form of a lengthy root system reaching down to groundwater. If a Monahans sand dune has become stabilized and has stopped blowing about in the wind, that is often because a small grove of Shinoaks have stabilized the dune with their extensive root systems. Despite the sterility of the landscape, various rodents are relatively common, and several packs of Sandhills coyote
s feed upon them.
Much of the Monahans Sandhills are privately owned property. The state of Texas is operating a 99-year lease with the Sealy-Smith Foundation for the ranch on which most of the land of the state park is located; the park opened to the public in 1957, and the state park has leasehold rights to this parcel of the sand hills until 2056.
The Monahans Sandhills are part of the Permian Basin of hydrocarbon formations, and some oil production continues in and around the state park.
Visitors practice several local forms of recreation at the Monahans Sandhills, such as sand football, sand surfing, and sand toboggan
ing.
Winkler County, Texas
Winkler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,173. Its county seat is Kermit. The county is named for Clinton M. Winkler, a Colonel in the Confederate Army....
, Texas. The closest major town is Monahans, Texas
Monahans, Texas
Monahans is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, Texas, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and the closest limited-access highway ingress is Exit 86 on Interstate 20
Interstate 20 in Texas
Interstate 20 in Texas is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, running east from a junction with Interstate 10 east of Kent, Texas, through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the border with Louisiana near Waskom, Texas...
.
Features
Monahans Sandhills State Park is noted for the presence of sand duneDune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s up to 70 feet (21.3 m) high. Although desert-like, the Monahans Sandhills are not a desert; they are a part of a semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
ecosystem (average annual rainfall 12.3 inches (312.4 mm)) characterized by the presence of both groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
and relatively nutrient-poor windblown sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
. The Shinoak (Quercus havardii
Quercus havardii
Quercus havardii is a deciduous, low-growing, thicket-forming shrub that occupies some 2 to 3 million ha in the southern Great Plains of North America. Clones may reach hundreds to thousands of years old, although aboveground stems typically live only 11 to 15 years...
) is a local climax shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
, an unusual type of oak tree which because of local conditions often achieves full growth of only 4 feet (1.2 m) in height. Most of a Shinoak's biomass exists in the form of a lengthy root system reaching down to groundwater. If a Monahans sand dune has become stabilized and has stopped blowing about in the wind, that is often because a small grove of Shinoaks have stabilized the dune with their extensive root systems. Despite the sterility of the landscape, various rodents are relatively common, and several packs of Sandhills coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s feed upon them.
Much of the Monahans Sandhills are privately owned property. The state of Texas is operating a 99-year lease with the Sealy-Smith Foundation for the ranch on which most of the land of the state park is located; the park opened to the public in 1957, and the state park has leasehold rights to this parcel of the sand hills until 2056.
The Monahans Sandhills are part of the Permian Basin of hydrocarbon formations, and some oil production continues in and around the state park.
Visitors practice several local forms of recreation at the Monahans Sandhills, such as sand football, sand surfing, and sand toboggan
Toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
ing.
See also
- Odessa Meteor CraterOdessa Meteor CraterThe Odessa Meteor Crater is a meteorite crater in the southwestern part of Ector County, southwest of the city of Odessa, Texas, United States. It is located approximately 3 miles south of I-20 at FM 1936 south...
- Mescalero EscarpmentMescalero EscarpmentThe Mescalero Escarpment, also known as the Mescalero Ridge, forms the western edge of the great Llano Estacado, a vast plateau or tableland in the southwestern United States in New Mexico and Texas...
- Pecos RiverPecos RiverThe headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
- Llano EstacadoLlano EstacadoLlano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
- Big Spring State Park