Part two: Community member speaks out

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a series about an organic farm intern’s experience at The Retreat in Reserve. Part one is in the February 20 edition of the Chieftain.

Things shifted when Danny expressed they didn’t want to watch the videos at The Retreat anymore.

“Even when I said that I didn’t want to watch the videos anymore, I had zero thought in my mind of leaving. And I think I also really wanted the things to work out,” Danny said.

Danny was informed that they could not participate in the energy healing if they did not want to watch the videos. If they were not participating in the healing, they had no reason to stay.

“I was refusing to watch the videos, and they would not accept that,” Danny said, “And they asked me to leave.”

In retrospect, Danny sees the group dynamic clearly, and now, Danny is concerned for others who might be in a situation they might not be able to navigate. Danny said the property is isolated, telephone communication is limited, and many woofers are young and at the mercy of their host.

According to Danny, they made a formal complaint to WWOOF about The Retreat and were told WWOOF has a three-strikes rule. The Retreat listing remained on WWOOF’s site. It wasn’t until another woofer made a complaint that the listing was removed from the site.

The WWOOF organization confirmed that it has a host approval process that includes an orientation with a staff member, a thorough profile review, and an identification verification process. However, because of its privacy policy, WWOOF was not able to provide any information on current or former members. WWOOF did not respond to questions regarding allegations against Marc Tizer nor confirm the complaints.

“My issue with the WWOOF organization, having had this experience, was that they do not enforce the rules for hosts. I reported a violation of almost every single host rule when I was in the cult. There were no repercussions,” Danny said.

Danny has no doubt about the kind of community The Retreat is, especially after speaking to others who have had similar experiences.

“It is a cult in every sense of the word. There is an authoritarian leader who controls every aspect of everyone’s lives who’s involved. He controls what they eat, how much, when they sleep, what they do with all of their time, and when they are allowed to leave, which is like once a year if they’re lucky. And he controls all their relationships,” Danny said.

Danny said they couldn’t prove anything illegal was happening, and everyone there was an adult, but the experience was nonetheless very concerning.

“They are taught to surrender as if this is a spiritual teaching, but they’re not surrendering to a God, a higher power or the universe. They’re surrendering to a person, who they call “Yo”. His name is Mark Tizer,” Danny said.

Danny noticed that last year, one of The Retreat’s websites went down.

“I was just hoping they were done, and they weren’t going to keep going. But these people are relentless. Like they had one website for Running River School that they were using for the camps. I don’t know if that one got shut down. They just made two more. So it’s like you cut off one head of the Hydra, and it grows two more, and that’s another reason why it feels important to get the word out.” Danny said.

Jess Walkins, a Catron County Sheriff’s Department Investigator, reported to the department that he responded to an email in November of last year with concerns about The Retreat, which included contact information for two people who had stayed there.

“I interviewed both by phone on November 16, 2024. Both subjects stated that during their time at ‘The Retreat,’ they did not observe any illegal acts committed, were not told by any of the group members they were being held against their will. Both interviewed stated that they were allowed to leave with no issues.” Walkins wrote in his synopsis.

Walkins reported that both people he interviewed expressed concerns that the leader of the group was possibly having sexual relations with some or all female members of the group and felt like the leader of the group brainwashes the other members to do anything he tells them. Both interviewed fear that any young female who associates with the group will become targeted or coerced to follow the group’s rituals and practices, according to the Synopsis report.

Walkins reported that both reporting parties heard of a ritual in which the leader calls for one of the young interns or women from the group at 2 a.m., and they enter his residence and drink from an open beer in his direction. They are gone the rest of the night.

In his synopsis, Walkins wrote that firearms were reportedly on the premises at The Retreat, but the members are not known to open or conceal carry daily. Some group members are believed to use the weapons for hunting. The group also lists hunting, fishing, camping, and wilderness survival as training classes offered.

Catron County Sheriff Hughes reported that the case was closed and requested that any parties had information to contact the Sheriff’s office.