Visiting

Bear Creek Community Land Trust welcomes scheduled visitors and potential new members who are aligned with our values. Currently there are plots of land available for lease and also some existing leaseholds with infrastructure for lease. Coming for a visit is a great first step in figuring out whether you might like to pursue becoming a member in our community, or simply get a chance to experience what life in a developing intentional community is like! 

Because we have limited resources, we will give precedence to visitors who are genuinely interested in joining a community like ours, rather than those who are just passing through. We suggest an initial visit of one to three days, with potential longer visits of a week or two after that.

During a visit, you can expect to participate in the daily activities of your hosts. These will most likely include physical work outside, gardening, building, working with animals, or other homestead tasks, so please take into consideration what month you schedule a visit in and whether heat is an issue for you. Meals will be partially shared together and partially on your own, and there will likely be time to get a tour of the whole community and other leaseholds while you are here. Depending on your host, internet and phone access may be limited, and potentially vehicle access as well.

We value affordability and wish for everyone who wants to visit to be able to manage it. A suggested donation of $10/day is recommended to your host site, though we appreciate any and all monetary donations; they help make it possible for us to host visitors who aren’t able to contribute as much financially, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

If you would like to schedule a visit we ask that you write us a letter (to 31167 Ferrier Ln., La Plata, MO 63549) or email (to BearcreekCLT@gmail.com) covering the points listed below, or call John Bambrick-Rust at 660-332-4026 with any other questions or for more information.

• Your name, age, and pronoun preference, and whether any children or pets will be traveling with you. (Please tell us in advance if you will be bringing a pet!)
• How you heard about Bear Creek Community
• What dates you would like to visit, how long you would like to stay, and how flexible those dates are (and please consider whether temperature or weather will be an issue for you during your proposed dates)
• Why you are interested in visiting an intentional community
• Your goals for your visit (what you want to learn, see, etc., and/or what skills or knowledge you may contribute to the community)
• Any previous experience of visiting or living in communities, or doing related work
• Any dietary restrictions or allergies, special needs or health issues we should be aware of
• Any physical ailments or limitations that might prevent you from doing certain kinds of work
• Your willingness and ability to camp while visiting (most visitors plan to bring their own equipment) or if you need a bed and cabin space (limited space available)
• How you plan to arrive here, and whether you will need to be picked up at the train station or airport
• Your e-mail address, postal address, and phone number where you can be reached prior to your visit
• Any other information you would like to share with us before your visit, including whether you are currently on any medications, have a criminal record, untreated mental health issues, or have any issues being around substances or children that we need to know about.

A visit to Bear Creek Community will give you the chance to experience life in a developing intentional community, and give us a chance to know you better.

We hope to hear from you soon!