Hello, again! I am lucky enough I don’t have to travel for my OC internship, it’s in my own town of Springfield, CO. I haven’t always lived here; I was born in Florida and have lived in Kansas and Indiana before staying here in Springfield. But it doesn’t matter where I am, every community has their 12 Key Assets.
My internship is at the library, which is only a few blocks down and across Main Street from my house, most days I like to ride my bike there. I mention this because one of the intangible Key Common Wealth assets my community has is safety and security. Now, I haven’t been walking around town since I was little, mainly because I didn’t live here until about five years ago (and my dad is kind of overprotective, but I love him anyway) but plenty of my friends have been walking everywhere for years now.
It’s easy to overlook or take for granted little things like being able to walk to the pool or Loaf N’ Jug with your friends, it’s so ingrained in us as something we just do, no one stops to think that that freedom is part of the Sense of Place Baca County gives its residents. Many people believe few of the 12 Key Assets can be found in such a small community as this, but they can if only one looks hard enough. Not all the Assets are as clearly represented as a school, hospital, or even the library. Assets like Water Cycle and Soil and Mineral Cycle are the ones that people don’t recognize, but they are here. It may almost never rain but that doesn’t mean we don’t have resources like the Ogallala Aquifer; the soil and mineral cycle can be found anywhere but is largely represented by Two Buttes and its adjoining lake. (which also represent Leisure and Recreation).
Until next time,
Becky Heath
