Regional Land Trust of West Virginia
history
Regional Land Trust of West Virginia was established in 1977by those living on three hippie communes on three separate tracts of land around the state: one in Roane County, one in Summers County and one in Greenbrier County. Over the years, the communities dispersed and the land was left vacant. The Trust went without a Board of Directors until 2003 when original member & his wife reconstituted it with the hopes of retiring on the Hickory Ridge tract in Roane County. By then, the other two tracts had been lost. No court records could be found for the one in Summers County, and the last community member on the tract in Greenbrier County had (illegally) put the deed in her name and the property had gone on to heirs. We chose not to fight it in court.
MISSION
The purpose of the Regional Land Trust of West Virginia is to…
Provide access to land for the landless;
Promote the ecological use of land for the common good;
Protect land from speculation;
Encourage a new relationship with land that sees it as the common heritage of all people, not as the private property of a few, nor as a commodity to be exchanged;
Develop networks of support and fellowship that will strengthen those on trust lands in times of need or ecological threat to the land;
Support efforts for land reform everywhere.
Community Description:
Hickory Ridge comprises 72 acres of ridge-top land and the wooded coves below. The ridge-top land is divided into four leaseholds and a common area. Each of the leaseholds is now taken by families.
While we on the ridge exist as separate households, it’s our intention to share some resources and trade produce. Reducing the use of fossil fuels, living in harmony with the Earth, and working for peace and social justice are values we share.
Our land has great views and nice woods, but (on the ridge-top) we don’t have a year-round stream. We do have wells, and average annual rainfall here is about 40 inches. We have four seasons, with a few small snowfalls in a typical winter, a long hot, humid summer, a colorful fall, and as for the Appalachian Spring, it inspired a symphony. The local area could not be described as progressive, and jobs are scarce. However, taxes and the cost of living are low, and building codes don’t apply here.
One of our members was part of the original commune of 40 years ago; now he and his wife spend weekends here, while working in the bigger city of Charleston during the week. The second couple joined in 2005, a single man in 2013, and a young couple in 2016. Our ages range from 35 to 74. One household is grid-tied solar powered, the other is off-grid. Moving toward collective self-sufficiency is a goal, so we are interested in projects like bee-keeping, mushroom growing, keeping dairy goats or other animals, alternative-energy production, etc.