Place Where You Live:

Black Forest, Colorado

My Home in the Forest

One’s connection to place can be deeply bounded to the soul through family history. My personal connection to the Black Forest is as deeply rooted as its old ponderosa pines. It’s not until a place is left, that one realizes the profound legacy left behind by your ancestors. This legacy became the foundation for my interest in becoming an environmental educator and advocate for the wild places that my family had sustained themselves in for generations. Even though I have left since high school, I am constantly reminded of home when passing a pine forest, reminiscing the days of 4-H shows, endless land to ride a horse, and passing the community church of a small town. I have realized that much has changed and my family’s legacy is not as apparent in current day, but this is a further motivation to make my own legacy in the communities I find myself in. I took for granted the contentedness that comes from community and connection to place, being part of a tightly knit community of the Black Forest since I was born. In honor of my ancestors I will carry on their relentless attitude of finding a place regardless of social, financial, and environmental obstacles. A genuine connection to community is accomplished when the time and the determination to find one’s place is made. For me, it’s not just going into the wild alone to appreciate the place, but develope deeply connected relationships with the community itself.