Changing of the seasons
Wednesday - April 5, 2023 by Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
The wetlands reflect the morning sky, as spring runoff fills the low laying areas around Scott’s Pond with snowmelt.
Snowmelt turns to spring runoff, which in turn flows down the Pine River through Bayfield making its way into Southern Ute lands to the south.
Mist gives way to the morning sun as the previous night’s storm clears out of the Pine River Valley, northeast of Ignacio.
A lone songbird greets the morning light along the Pine River, wildlife abounds in the river corridor … red willow and other vegetation springs forth in areas burned by last year’s Bear Dance Fire.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum




Rain and snow saturate the fields and forests along the Pine River on the Southern Ute Reservation in the early weeks of March. Songbirds greet the still morning; spring is in the air. Steady flows of water wash downstream from the Weminuche Wilderness, as winter’s snowpack begins to recede with the onset of longer days and warmer weather. The abundant water will be a welcome respite this spring, helping to offset years of drought here in Southwest Colorado.