Saguache County Sustainable Environment & Economic Development

When Barry Van Sant first noticed Saguache, he was mostly passing through. Traveling between Durango and Fort Collins to visit family, he remembers stopping for gas at the Cliff Brice station, picking up drinks and snacks at the Hammel Store and being warned to watch out for the local speed trap. By the early 1990s, he was spending summers in Saguache with his future wife and her family, camping at Luders Creek, fishing at Dome Lakes and four-wheeling through the Cochetopa Hills. Eventually, an opportunity arose to buy property in town. “Saguache was going through some revitalization at the time, so I just decided to get involved and see what happened next,” Van Sant said. “Twenty years later, I’m still at it.”

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Today, Van Sant brings decades of community involvement, business experience and a background in conservation to the ScSEED Board. Along the way, he has developed a practical view of what economic development means in a rural community. “There is no silver bullet,” he said. Nor does Van Sant put much stock in the idea that a community can simply build something and wait for businesses, people or outside investment to arrive. Rural economic development, he has learned, requires hard work, good people and a deep understanding of the community, the region and the resources available. “What I have learned is that there is help out there, and you need to seek it out and embrace it.”

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Agriculture and public services have traditionally formed much of Saguache County’s economic foundation. With roughly three-quarters of the county in public ownership, Van Sant points out that those lands require people and resources to manage them, while also limiting the amount of land generating local property tax revenue. At the same time, he sees the landscape of Saguache County and the San Luis Valley as one of the region’s greatest economic opportunities. Tourists, hunters, hikers and other travelers regularly pass through the county. Some stay, but many keep going. Van Sant believes communities can do more to accommodate the visitors already here, connect them with local businesses and experiences, and create economic opportunity while sharing the landscape responsibly. The goal is not simply attracting more people, but finding ways for local communities to benefit from visitation without sacrificing the qualities that make the region special.

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That balance between economic opportunity and conservation is also part of what connects Van Sant to ScSEED, although he jokes that he wasn’t exactly drawn to the organization. He was recruited. “My education in conservation and my experience in business just seemed to fit with the goals of ScSEED,” he said. He has enjoyed working with fellow board members and ScSEED’s affiliate organizations, describing those relationships as meaningful and respectful. His combination of conservation and business experience fits naturally with ScSEED’s focus on compatible economic development: strengthening the local economy while protecting the environment, rural character and community values that define Saguache County.

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Perhaps no issue illustrates Van Sant’s approach to rural economic development better than transportation. He stumbled into the transportation arena more than a decade ago while serving as president of the Saguache Chamber of Commerce and has since experienced the successes and frustrations of trying to provide bus and shuttle services in small communities where distances are great and populations are sparse. People still need to reach jobs, healthcare, professional services, education and recreation, regardless of whether they have access to a reliable vehicle. Without mobility options for workers, students, older adults, people with disabilities and those without vehicles, Van Sant believes communities also have a harder time attracting businesses and new residents. He has come to see mobility in much the same way as roads, bridges, electricity and internet service. “Transit or mobility services are an essential part of a region’s infrastructure,” he said. “If any one of these is missing, your communities will suffer.”

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The challenge is that conventional transportation models often do not fit rural places. “One size does not fit all,” Van Sant said. A route connecting residents of remote communities with groceries, healthcare and other necessities may look very different from a commuter route carrying employees to work, while visitors and hikers may have entirely different transportation needs. “Traditional transit systems were designed for the big cities with large populations,” he said. “Those business models don’t work here. We have to try something different.” That statement could just as easily describe his broader philosophy of economic development: understand the actual need, learn from what has and hasn’t worked, find the right people and resources, and be willing to try something better suited to the place.

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Now retired, Van Sant has more time for community work, but what keeps him engaged is his belief in Saguache County and the difference one person can make here. “I love this town and county, and I see so much potential to restore the energy and put more life into our community and region,” he said. “In a sparsely populated town and county, your vote and your actions really matter. You’re not just a grain of sand on the beach of Denver or Colorado Springs. Here, you’re a rock, a boulder. You can make a difference. I want to make a difference.”