Lothlorien Farm (Lothlorien Rural Co-op)

Mission: land stewardship, friendship, mutual support

From www.ic.org/directory/lothlorien-farm-rural-co-op/:

Lothlorien Farm is a rural cooperative in the forest and lake country of eastern Ontario, founded in 1972 and incorporated in 1998. It provides members with a rural natural environment in which to live, work, and/or spend recreational time in a continuing context of sharing and community.

The co-op owns our 700 acres of land, mostly rough bush in its natural state. It is no longer the working "farm" of fifty years ago, but we do have gardens and a few fields. Our buildings include houses, workshops, and outbuildings.

Currently we are a small, loose-knit but stable group of seven resident members (currently all adults over 60) in four households, and several non-resident members, all linked by various long-term friendships and a love for this piece of land. Resident members work in individual home businesses (wood-workers, weaver, artist, writer/translator) or are retired. Incomes are separate and houses individually owned, while the land itself is owned collectively.

We look out for each other as good friends and neighbours, and take care of each other's animals and houses if someone is away. We hold an annual general meeting, and have occasional potlucks and gatherings. Several adult children of members visit often, and are developing their own group structure for their connection to this place. Residents are quite involved in the local community, through the community centre, choir, library, and other activities.

We are not actively looking for new members, but could be open to inquiries from Canadian residents living within a few hours' drive. People might get to know us gradually through a series of short visits. There are several approved house sites that new members could build on. Costs of joining include a one-time, non-returnable membership contribution, and house construction.

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.