“This Is Your Watershed: Upper San Juan River” will celebrate the varied uses of water in our community with an educational film premiere Monday evening, Nov. 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts (PSCA).
The event is free to the public.
San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) invites community members and water organizations to Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts to view two water films by acclaimed filmmaker Christi Bode. “The Value of Snow” and “The Waterways that Connect Us” are the first two of three short films funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and SJWCD.
The third film will premiere in early 2025.
The PSCA doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Twelve regional water organizations will host exhibit tables about their essential work in the front space. The SJWCD will provide savory and sweet finger foods as guests converse with water professionals, and there will be a cash bar.
At 6:30 p.m., films will be shown in the back theater. “The Value of Snow” was released in September, but may be new to much of the community. The audience will see the second film, “The Waterways that Connect Us,” for the first time. A panel of water professionals who appear in the films will answer audience questions.
Alex Handloff, Mountain Studies Institute and San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, will moderate interactions between audience members and panelists. Handloff brings years of notable experience in environmental communications to this community conversation.
Christi Bode is a Pagosa-based filmmaker, producer and writer. Bode’s recent accomplishments include “The Ute Water Legacy” and “Farm to Faucet.” Bode’s collaboration with SJWCD illustrates the importance of working together and protecting the headwaters of the San Juan River.
Chris Pitcher owns Southwest River Engineering with 20 years of professional experience protecting water resources. Pitcher works with local Archuleta County and regional river projects, always with an eye on watershed health.
Arleen and Shawn Prochazka bring years of professional meteorological experience to their leadership of Pagosa Weather, a local nonprofit that involves many dozens of citizens. Pagosa Weather is the official local coordinator of Colorado’s Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network.
Lindsey Kurt-Mason represents Pagosa Paddle and the Friends of the Upper San Juan on the panel. A well-known career educator with extensive environmental teaching experience, Kurt-Mason’s work in 2024 demonstrates the economic importance of a healthy San Juan River.
After the film discussions end, conversations will continue in the PSCA front room. Food and drink will still be available and the exhibits of 12 water organizations will engage guests as the event wraps up.
The tabletop exhibitors include:
• San Juan Water Enhancement Partnership.
• Colorado Division of Water.
• Town of Pagosa Springs.
• Mountain Studies Institute.
• Friends of the Upper San Juan River and Pagosa Paddle.
• Creation Care.
• Colorado State University Extension and Natural Resources.
• Weminuche Audubon and Audubon Rockies.
• Water Information Program.
• Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation.
• Pagosa Weather.
• San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership.
The mission of the SJWCD is to be an active leader in all issues affecting the water resources of the Upper San Juan River Basin.
More information can be found at www.sjwcd.org.
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