Membership

WHITE HAWK MEMBERSHIP PROCESS SUMMARY

Below please find our membership process:

STEP 1: APPLICANT HOUSEHOLD: Applicant Households submit an application with a non-refundable $250 fee, after which they are added to the e-mail group, thus gaining access to certain documents, communications, and meeting minutes. During this time, they establish a closer relationship with current White Hawk residents. Visits are encouraged, as well as attending and contributing to monthly meetings, and participating in discussions with the intention of deciding whether White Hawk is a good fit. Generally, we expect households to be Applicants from at least 3-6 months before moving forward with the next step…(see below).

STEP 2: ASSOCIATE HOUSEHOLD: The next step toward full membership is to submit a $750 associate household fee, once a household is certain they want to proceed with living here. This fee is refundable only if the application is rejected by the community. Associate Households can make proposals and participate in committees and other White Hawk projects. They can reserve a lot for one year by paying a $1,000 lot deposit and showing a mortgage pre-approval letter. They can submit building plans to the Infrastructure committee, and look forward to construction!

STEP 3: FULL MEMBERSHIP: When ready to build, one becomes an official co-owner of White Hawk by paying the $40,000 full lot lease fee (or complete purchase of home) and signing a lease.

Full members co-own White Hawk Ecovillage and have the same voting rights as every other full member.

MEMBERSHIP RIGHTS

Living at White Hawk offers tangible and intangible perks.

• • You have a say. As a full member of White Hawk you are part-owner of the whole community. Each household at White Hawk has the right to participate in our consensus-based decision-making process. When prolonged decisions necessitate a reversion to voting, member households have one vote each.

• • You own your home. In exchange for paying the $40,000 lot lease fee, the price of building your house, and monthly fees (around $300-$400, including property taxes for the individual household), you have the right to build a dwelling of your choosing and design (as long as it conforms to the community’s green standards and government building codes). Your household has private use and rights to the lot surrounding your house while abiding by White Hawk Policy and vision.

• • You are part-owner of our common property. As a member family or household, you will own one of the 30 shares in White Hawk.

• • Living here is like living in a park with acres of land for projects. Want to start a market garden? Blaze some trails? Plant a berry patch? Set up an archery range? We’re land-rich, and we love to see and feel the energy of new projects.

• • You can bring your pets to White Hawk. We welcome pets and understand that they are part of your family!  Contact us about our pet policy.

• • You can will your home to your descendants or sell it. White Hawk’s 99-year lease policy is much like owning your lot. You can will your home to your descendants, sell it, or rent it–provided that your descendants or the new buyers of your home meet membership requirements, including approval by the community.

MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

White Hawk members share land and live close to one another, so interaction and cooperation is as natural as breathing. Here is an overview of what members do and how they live at White Hawk.

• • Finances: Individuals pay for their own home and its associated fees (the lot upon which it is built is leased). See Membership Rights for more information.

• • Finding a niche. Everyone participates in the way best suited to each individual. When we agree that a group task needs to be done, like clearing the check dams along our road, we hold a work party, and those who want to participate complete the task. Those not interested in or available for physical labor inevitably contribute in some other way, like updating the website or leading a tour. We recognize that people go through phases of contributing more or less apparent effort, and we work well as a group to flow with these patterns. We don’t keep track of participation nor do we mandate particular tasks or numbers of hours. It’s possible that when we are a larger community our patterns of cooperation will evolve, but for now, it’s nice to observe how we work together willingly and because we enjoy it, not because we have to.

• • Members can attend meetings. We meet monthly to discuss current issues and make decisions about what is happening in the community. Attendance is optional, though strongly encouraged. Any member can suggest agenda topics and make proposals. Applicants or visitors are encouraged to attend meetings to get a feel for the community.

• • Members agree to abide by White Hawk’s policies and decisions, as defined in our meeting minutes, decision log and other official documents. The policies that govern daily life at White Hawk were written by consensus, and are designed to encourage maximum comfort, consideration, respect and responsibility by all members, for all members. We ask that applicants read all decisions, provisions and policies that have been made previously and either agree to them or raise any concerns.