River Farm

  • Community

About the Community

What we do

We live in the northwest corner of the United States; one of the eight communities in the Evergreen Land Trust. We live in separate households on an 80-acre cooperative, subsistence farm in rural Whatcom County, about forty minutes by bus or car from Bellingham, Washington. Our community is focused on ecologically-based farming and forestry, homesteading skills, habitat restoration, and hosting educational events. The farm is a mixture of forests, gardens, fields, and wetlands along the South Fork Nooksack River. We raise chickens, sheep, cows, and ducks. We have some houses on the electrical grid and some off grid. We operate by consensus and have monthly business meetings. We also gather regularly for work parties, weekly potlucks, and various projects. The land is held in trust, so we share the basic costs of stewardship (land taxes, insurance, tractor repairs, etc.) by each adult member paying monthly dues, which creates our annual budget. Each adult member also contributes work hours on the farm, sharing in the responsibility of stewardship and upholding the purposes of the trust. Members are engaged in many different passions and professions off of the Farm as well, but all share in the commitment to caring for the land, and learning how to live sustainably and cooperatively.

Our Mission

To maintain wildlife sanctuaries within the boundaries of an on-going, organic farm; to serve as a meeting place for outside groups studying organic farming practices; and promote cooperative community that provides political, spiritual, economic, educational and social development to its members.

  • 0 total members
Total
5

How to join

The residency process begins with a three month trial period, then a minimum of nine more months of residency before membership may be applied for at the 18 month mark. Membership decisions are made by consensus of the current members and membership confers the responsibility of land and community stewardship to accepted residents.

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Outdoor Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Waterfront access, Internet, Sauna

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%
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Reviews

Location

  • United States

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