Dear friends,

Spring has sprung at Dancing Rabbit. The peach, pear, plum, redbud, apple, and cherry trees have bloomed and are starting to reveal their orangy-pink petals and green leaves. The grass is already getting tall: happy cows, goats, pigs, and chickens now venture far from their winter homes to feast on the vernal bounty. Rabbits, both the human and animal variety, are busily hopping around and steadily embracing life outside their burrows. There are SO MANY things to do this time of year: preparing and planting gardens, getting back to work on various construction projects (the sauna, SubHub, Critter Kitchen, a new floor in Skyhouse), facilitating the grazing of our various herds/flocks while dealing with the uptick in milk and egg production, preparing for the coming wave of visitors, work exchangers, tour groups, and workshop participants, and lots of behind the scenes community governance, committee, and co-op work that is, in many ways, the life blood of DR. We always make time to play as well.

Additionally, we’re hosting our first fundraiser of the year, Give STL on Wednesday, May 10. If you feel moved to support our project, you can click this image and bookmark the page:

It’s been said that Dancing Rabbit is entering a springtime of its own. The last half decade has dealt its fair share of challenges for the community, not least of which being a global pandemic. This metaphorical winter was a trying time for the community; some long time members left, morale and group cohesion took a hit, and we struggled to gain and retain new members. But many good people stuck it out, continuing the hard but rewarding work of tending the community and the land, keeping the hearth warm until the next spring time, for winter always comes to an end.

This is not to say this era was all bad. Good work was done, and the heart of the community kept beating. I moved here in the midst of this period, right at the start of the COVID pandemic. I could not have hoped for a better place to weather that storm; I found great friends, beautiful land, a solid, thoughtfully-structured community, and an abundance of meaningful work to dig into. Being a bit of an introvert myself, the lack of visitors and large social gatherings was fine by me. In fact, it was kind of wonderful to experience DR in a year when the community was able to slow down, turn the focus inward, and enjoy the simple pleasures of rural life. COVID of course brought many hardships as well, and navigating these in community has been a bumpy ride to say the least.

Things really do feel different at Dancing Rabbit now. Not only have our programs resumed in full force, but so have all manner of social gatherings. Our collective institutions are doing well, and new ones are emerging. People are genuinely happy to live here, both newcomers and old timers. Things just feel GOOD. There are challenges, but they seem manageable, and may even yield some exciting outcomes. It feels like we’re emerging from our winter burrows to greet the light of a new spring. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that it happens to be the year of the Rabbit.

There are a few recent rumblings at DR which make me feel particularly hopeful for the future of this community:

• New Rabbits are bringing positive energy, taking on leadership roles, implementing inspiring projects and activities (sauna building, meditation group, and deep conversation groups to name a few), and adding value to our existing co-ops and systems.
• The Agroforestry Co-operative is getting to work. This year we’re planting 50+ trees in our cow/goat pastures, inoculating dozens of mushroom logs, and planting some select fruit and nut trees. Next year it’s five acres of chestnuts. This co-op has so much potential to transform our landscape in beautiful and abundant ways, while creating avenues for Rabbits to work together, bring in new folks, and maybe even make a modest income.
• Houses are being filled. Since I’ve been at DR there has consistently been a number of homes which have been vacant for long stretches of time. Most of these homes are now being lived in, with only a few empty tiny houses being used as short term rentals.
• The Milkweed Mercantile is back in action. Though still in a trial period, the Mercantile is being run by the non-profit and is seeing great use as an inn, commercial kitchen (currently utilized by the Dairy Co-op and cooks for our visitor program), and a gathering space for special events. Fingers crossed for the return of pizza night. 
• The Critters are building something magical. Critter Kitchen is an off-grid, zero-fossil fuel, eating co-operative and kitchen with a “contribute what you can” model. The main kitchen burned down two Novembers ago but that hasn’t slowed us down! We converted a small cabin into a temporary kitchen in the course of two afternoons and got to work building the next grand iteration of our main kitchen. And boy is it grand: massive roundwood timbers, living roof, cantilevered balcony, morning café patio, earthen walls and floors, and off-grid solar and water systems. Though we’re still a long way from completion, the process has been a great learning and bonding experience and has brought more than a few all-star wexers to DR.
• Jennifer Martin donated the Martin House. This is a beautiful, timber-framed, straw bale building with three bedrooms, an attached cabin, kitchen, bathroom, workshop, balcony, and lovely perennial gardens. Having this building owned by our collective institutions opens up many possibilities that we are just beginning to explore. This year we’re using it as short term lodging for volunteers and socioeconomically disadvantaged guests. We’re also setting aside a portion of the building as potential quarantine space. But this is just the beginning - many possibilities await!
• The Long Term Planning Committee has been revived. We are once again actively planning for the future of DR, and charting a course that will get us there.

The non-profit arm of DR, the Center for Sustainable and Co-operative Culture (CSCC) does a huge amount to support the growth, stability, sustainable development, and outreach work of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. It also employs a modest number of Rabbits allowing us to live at DR and engage in the largely unpaid work of community building, land stewardship, and interpersonal healing. If you're looking to support an organization that is working diligently to address the root causes of climate change, community disconnection, and the struggle to find meaning in modern life, then consider donating to CSCC next Wednesday, May 10 on Give STL Day.

Here’s how you can get involved: 

• Mark your calendar for May 10, 2023, and bookmark this giving link: 
  • https://www.givestlday.org/dancingrabbitecovillage
• Make a donation to support us on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 (if you’re not going to be available on the 10th, you can pre-schedule a donation, too! Make sure to schedule it during one of the Power Hours.) 
• Help us spread the word by telling your friends, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to be in the know about Give STL Day!

In order to have the greatest impact with your donation, be sure to give during one of the Power Hours (listed in Central Time) to amplify your contribution with gifts from the St. Louis Community Foundation:

In community,

Eric Mease
Administrative Assistant
Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture
at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage