Tree on the prairie

My last two nights camping at John Martin Reservoir State Park in Colorado. I’ve been meaning to come here for years but it never quite got to the top of the list before.

Most of the trees on the prairie have been planted, and the ancestors of the tree squirrel I saw just now migrated across from the east. I guess here on the Arkansas River there would have been riparian vegetation including some trees.

This park is only here because of the dam and hydro scheme put in by the US Army Corps of Engineers, in the 1930’s, I think. The guy I spoke with in the Santa Rosa office of USACE told me that this was a good place to come. I understand the land is leased to the park, and sometimes there is access to some defence funding. There is supposed to be good bird life here. It’s noisy in the campground; mainly grackles and doves as far as I can see so far.