What is a Civistead?
A Civistead is a permanently rooted, working landscape that weaves together ecological care, enterprise, and place-based learning in a way that deepens our sense of meaning and belonging over time. It is not a resort, not a gated community, and not simply a conservation project.
Saunterra is being developed in a region shaped by high fire risk and watershed vulnerability, positioned to serve as a working demonstration site for long-horizon habitat restoration and rural renewal.
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ACRE LAND BASE
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INTEGRATED SYSTEM
Phase 0
FOUNDATION (UNDERWAY)
The Four Pillars
Land Base
Long-term management of forest and watershed systems aligned with fire resilience, biodiversity, and soil health.
The Commons
A mission-locked, for-benefit enterprise stewarding land-based revenue (forest products, agroforestry, ecological service contracts), with surpluses cycled back into land health and local livelihoods.
The Institute
Applied research, trainings, fellowships, and field courses—embedding learning and refinement in everyday practice, and supporting the trust-holding mandate over time.
The Community
A seasonal cadence of work, study, and shared stewardship that makes the landscape legible to those who live, learn, and collaborate there.
Rooted Experience
Saunterra is the vision of David Charlon, an established Chico-based entrepreneur and founder of Family Behavior Solutions. David is applying the same operational rigor required to succeed in the behavioral health and insurance spaces to Saunterra's civistead model, moving beyond one-off projects to durable, place-based institutions designed to stay with the work over time.
~Read the Founder's Note
How partnerships begin
We start small, prove fit on the ground, then deepen over time
Conversation & fit
A 30-45 minute call to understand goals, timelines, constraints, and potential alignment.
A small pilot
A site visit, field day, or scoped collaboration designed to test fit without overcommitting
Deepen if it works
If there's mutual value, we evolve into multi-year collaboration with periodic review
Near-term pilot options
Site visit + resilience briefing (half-day)
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Co-hosted stewardship / training day
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A named pilot with measurable outputs (baseline + demonstration area)
Join the Partnership
Saunterra is in Phase 0 — Foundation.
We're welcoming aligned partners for near-term pilot stewardship, resilience, and applied learning collaborations.
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Site visits + field days
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Pilot stewardship / training collaborations
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Early anchor partnerships that can deepen into multi-year work
White Paper: Read online • Download PDF