Ground Rules of Serranova

Serranova is a prosocial community. We’re recreating the cooperation that helped humans thrive, not the friction that divides us.

These ground rules convey the spirit of cooperation we desire.

Your territory boundaries: When you select your 2,000 sq.ft. territory, its perimeter must be 100 ft from a stream, pond, or marsh; 25 ft from someone else’s perimeter (unless they agree to share a boundary with you); and 25 ft from a trail, and 50ft from the lot lines.. If in doubt, ask. If management asks for changes, please comply. Use cloth strips to mark corners. A big stride is about 3 feet.

Sustainability: Everything used to construct shelters and projects needs to be decomposable or made of natural materials like stone and minerals. That means no metal, plastic tarps or ropes (no nylon or poly), concrete. Use just animal skins, plant fibers; ropes & strings made of manila, hemp, sisal, cotton, or hide laces. We’re striving to be as authentic as possible, within reason, with our tools and tech; it’s more rewarding that way. Serranova will provide as much as possible for sale onsite. See the materials and supplies page.

Wood: Do not cut down live trees over 6ft tall. You can break and collect dead branches, and remove shrubs under 4ft. (Basically, don’t clearcut your area, just choose another area.) You can dig holes up to 4 ft deep. You can make a tree house or lean-to. There will be cedar logs and ropes to buy (or bring your own) for platforms, tree stands, etc. There will be local firewood delivered for members to use for free for cooking, fires, etc.

Community: Prosocial behavior required. A peer-voted tribal council we’ll create sometime in year 1 will handle minor social disputes. And why not have a philosophical wise shaman. When needed, we can call a council, to hear new ideas and air grievances. The group can vote on such matters, and respond to any (unlikely) uncivil behavior, and mete out in-world social punishment for infractions.

Animals: No pets or livestock. No pets at all are allowed, including birds, reptiles, dogs and cats – to not disturb each other with unwanted barking or to harm wildlife. Dogs were not yet domesticated in 30K BCE. (But if you can encounter and tame a wolf yourself, we can talk, hah.) ADA service animals permitted as the law requires. No emotional support pet exceptions, sorry. Livestock may be brought temporarily for approved workshops, but humans in 30K BCE didn’t domesticate animals, so I’m not sure yet which ones would be asked for? Even horses, our one anachronistic exception, were hunted and eaten, not ridden.

Wildlife: Hunting of small game (rabbit, squirrel, fowl, and similar) is permitted in compliance with Maine hunting regulations. Hunting of larger game (deer, turkey, etc.) requires advance written permission from Serranova due to member safety, and in compliance with Maine hunting regulations. No modern guns allowed. Trapping small game is permitted using paleo techniques. Apart from this, do not feed or harass wildlife.

Meat processing: Small game and fish (rabbit, squirrel, fowl, fish, and similar—under 10 lbs): Members may field dress and process small game on their territory or at cooking areas. Waste must be buried in a hole at least 18 inches deep, covered with soil, and located at least 100 feet from any water source, well, or stream. Medium and large game (deer, goat, pig, or larger): Individual processing of medium or large game is not permitted. Members who wish to process larger animals may: (1) participate in Serranova-hosted “Field to Fire” workshops led by experienced instructors, offered seasonally during hunting season; (2) purchase pre-processed meat from vendors or arrange delivery to the property; (3) utilize future “meal plan” options from Serranova when available. See also the paleo cooking page.

Smoking activities (hides, meats, fish): Permitted between 9am and 5pm only when there are no members nearby who would be affected. Smoke pits must be located within your assigned territory. Be mindful of wind direction and neighboring territories. (Seal up the embers and hides well.)

Quiet hours: To preserve the peaceful atmosphere, loud activities like chopping, sawing, and stone-hammering are permitted only between 9am and 4pm throughout the week and weekends. Quieter crafts—carving, weaving, knapping, fire-making—are welcome anytime. After 10pm, all sound must be kept below 50db per town ordinance.

Technology limits: Members cannot use gas-powered, large electric, or motorized tools for their projects, to ensure reasonable period authenticity and minimal disturbances to the community. Metal-bladed items can be used as needed (although are not period-accurate).

Firearms: No modern firearms are permitted on the property at any time, including in vehicles, for any reason. This includes handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Primitive weapons (bows, spears, atlatls, knives) are the only weapons permitted at Serranova.

Photography and filming: You may photograph and film your own territory, and your artisanal process. Filming other members requires their explicit consent; assume the default answer is “no”. Some members prefer not to be filmed—please respect this. Serranova reserves the right to designate any all-member events as “screen-free zones”.

Privacy: We will strive to keep the location private (or at least hard to discover), to ensure member security and privacy and seclusion. If you create public content (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, blogs, etc.), you agree not to reveal Serranova’s location to your audience, and will scrub GPS tags from your published images. You may share your experience, but not directions to find us. Repeated or intentional violations of location privacy are grounds for membership cancelation.

Alcohol: Serranova has an alcohol license. BYOB allowed in some circumstances. Drunkenness is never permitted or tolerated and will result in suspension of membership.

Substance use: if the State of Maine allows it, we do. Don’t jeopardize the community and project with illegal use.

Legal: all members must signed a “terms of use” and liability waiver; the usual precautions.