Description of Lifestyle at Wildroots

As a community, we felt it would be helpful to share some background about our daily routine and a few of the things to consider before visiting. We especially encourage visitors to be self motivated and to ask questions, to lend a hand during meals and on community projects. Some of these things include gardening, helping to carry water, gather and cut firewood, start morning and evening fires, prepare meals, wash dishes, gather food, etc. All of our cooking is done over an open fire.

Aside from dumpstering, our food is gathered seasonally and grown in our small garden. We ask visitors to be prepared to help gather and preserve food - usually greens in the spring, greens and fruits in the summer, fruits, nuts, acorns and meat in the fall. Our community spends weeks processing these foods, and it helps us to be able to share with others if visitors help with these projects during their stay.

Some things to be aware of during your stay:
-Visitors are asked to donate a minimum of $15 a month towards a community expense fund. This goes towards such necessaries as canning jars, taxes, etc.
- A 1-800 calling card is necessary in order to make phone calls. Cell phones don't work here. If you don't have a calling card, one can be bought at a grocery store on the way in.
- Bring some personal eating and drinking utensils. We do have a limited supply, but it is easier if you bring your own.
- There is no electricity, computers, or running water here. We do have a land line phone.
- Bring some projects or have an idea of some things you would like to learn or accomplish here. Some ideas are: friction fire making, hidetanning, edible and medicinal plant uses, buckskin projects, deadfalls, etc. There are almost always extra deer hides for guests to use to learn hide tanning.
- We ask people to bring a bit of extra food with them to offset the food they use. You don't have to feed the community but a couple of bags of the below would be greatly appreciated: brown rice, black beans, lentils, honey, whole wheat flour, nut butters, granola, oatmeal, cornmeal, teas of various kinds, amaranth, quinoa, salt, molasses.
-We have a very limited parking area. If possible, hitchike. If not possible, there are a couple of extra spaces for cars.
- Children are welcome. We are trying to encourage a greater age diversity and life experience diversity. Be aware though that currently there are no other children in residence.
- We are not vegetarians or vegans. We do mostly eat wild meat, though occasionally dumpstered.
-We do not 'live off the land'. Our goal is to be always moving more and more in that direction, as we learn more and more skills, and are capable of more and more independent thought and living. However, we are a 'work in progress' as well. We are still to an extent dependent on the system, in many ways. Practicality is the argument here, but we are always working towards less and less of those things, and moving more towards gathered and grown.
-Whether or not to have domesticated dogs as a presence here at wildroots has caused many discussions and problems over the past year. There are currently no dogs living on the land and there is a general consensus that we would prefer not to have dogs living here, in order to encourage wildlife to continue repopulating the area, and to discourage domestication. we don't wish to have a hard and fast rule regarding dogs, and are willing to work with visitors who have dogs and are willing to take responsibility for them. But we do wish for people to be aware that there have been some very serious arguments surrounding this particular issue.

If you would like to visit, please email us and tell us a bit of yourself, what you would like to experience, and when you would like to visit. We generally encourage visitors to arrange a short term visit the first time, but are open to longer term visitations if you let us know ahead of time. We only get to the computer once a week or so, so don't worry if it takes a bit to get a reply.