Black Bear Ranch is a commune located in Northern California on 80 acres of land within the Salmon River Watershed on Konomihu Land. It is a region of spectacular mountain peaks and ridges, rivers, creeks and alpine lakes, and remains one of the most ecologically and geologically diverse regions in the world, despite over a century of intense resource extraction.
Since 1968 Black Bear Ranch has been open to almost anyone wanting to live within a non-hierarchical commune of shared responsibility. (See History for more details.) However, considering years of experimentation and changes in the collective psychological landscape of The Ranch’s current and prior stewards and the world at large, we have shifted our operations away from an entirely open-door commune, to a relationally-based, non-hierarchical commune, practicing the core values established by the original founders:
Black Bear Ranch is to be managed harmoniously with nature, and with a view to preserving the water, soil, wildlife, and forest resources and ecological balance as thoroughly as practicable.
Paragraph 3, Declaration of Black Bear Family Trust, 1987
If you are interested in visiting the ranch or have any questions, consult the visitor page first and/or contact us directly.