Who We Are
Our Board is comprised of folks with backgrounds in local community, agrarian wisdom, and communal land restoration. We will add bios soon and continue to update this page as we grow.
Tony Mayotte (He/Him) Shari Mayotte (She/Her)
Co-Founders
Hi there. We’re glad you’re here. About two years ago, Shari and I were inspired to create a space where everyone could reconnect with the land together. While thinking about what this place would be, we had the privelege to visit groups who were already doing this work in beautiful and radical ways. Some were farms, some were monasteries (some were farmasteries), some were agricultural communities, and some were retreat centers in rural settings. At some point on this journey, I was able to tour Bluestem Conservation Cemetery in North Carolina and was struck by the reverence the space required of me. It was a beautiful example of how land could be preserved—set apart as a gift for all—and also a space for healing and nourishment. From that point on, this vision to build a land commons and conservation cemetery has been growing and taking shape. We’ve been listening to the humans and other creatures of South-Central Michigan (and we plan to continue listening) to hear how this space can be their space. We continue to feel inspired to do this work and find hope in these projects, for our community and for the world. We hope you’ll join us.
Our Name
As people of faith, with a big vision of what God is doing in the world, we wondered, “what might happen if we loved the land the way God loves it?” Old Testament scholar Walter Bruegemann calls Jeremiah the prophet of the land par excellence. Much like the prophet, we decided to commit ourselves to the local land, and to restore our relationship to it—to receive the land as a gift and value it as such. (Jeremiah 19, 20, 29, and 32 are great passages on this point.) Of course, land is the most universal connector on this planet. It’s a gift to which all should have access. Sharing things in common started long ago and this tradition is rooted in communities across history and around the globe. Land held and cared for by a group of people can nourish the whole bio-community, not just a few.
Three Unique Places
One piece of land
Phase I
A Conservation Cemetery
Phase II
A Communal Farm
Phase III
A Retreat Center
Pin Oak Preserve
The Farm
The Retreat Space
To preserve the space for the entire community, forever, we are first creating a conservation cemetery: Pin Oak Preserve. Pin Oak will be a nature sanctuary, and a natural burial ground. A place for loved ones to be sustainably, intimately, and affordably laid to rest. And, as a nature preserve, it will be open from dawn to dusk for enjoying nature. Pin Oak will be a space that entwines life, death, and the land. Once we obtain land, we will seek accreditation with the Green Burial Council.
The second space will be a communal farm. The primary activities at The Farm will be hands on nutrition education for youth (nature- and farm-based education), and communal agriculture (communally producing and sharing food with anyone in the community who is hungry). Under the growing model of a farm commons—land owned communally to increase land access for those who have historically been deprived of it—it will also be a space to experiment with and learn about regenerative agricultural practices such as agroforestry and perennial farming.
The third space will be The Retreat Space. A space of rest, worship, prayer, and wonder in creation. A space to recognize and embrace our limits—both our own, and the land on which we depend. With simplicity and nature as our guiding framework, our retreat space will be a place to take a step back from life’s busyness and re-discover our roots. It will be a place to mark all of life’s many milestones, from baptisms and weddings to yearly gatherings and celebrations of life. We hope this space will encourage wonder and delight in the simple act of being.
Some Inspiration
Learn and grow with us
Please let us know of any suggestions!
We would like to acknowledge that the land in which this vision will take root was first inhabited, cared for, and nourished by Michigan’s First Nations Peoples whose descendants still honor those ties today. This region of Michigan was and is still home to the Anishinaabeg, of which, the three largest nations are the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewadomi (Potawatomi), which collectively form The Council of The Three Fires. We hope to continue to learn from their legacy and relationship with this place.
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