Though the phenomenon of migration from urban areas to the countryside is not prevelant in Poland, it still is an essential component of the contemporary Polish social-cultural reality. My research interests concentrate primarily on individuals and groups who have migrated to the countryside in order to begin alternative lifestyles. This movement is primarily an attempt to find an environment that will allow the new settlers to live in accordance with their value systems. Thus the migration, and the establishment of a new community based upon their values, can be seen as part of the on-going process of culture creation. For these settlers, living in harmony with the environment is of central importance, and is the primary factor motivating migration. Rural areas are perceived as the place where humans are able to interact most intensely and positively with nature. This symbiotic relationship entails a concordant obligation to protect nature, requiring these groups to undertake certain actions connected with creation of landscape on a micro-scale. First and foremost, this concerns the development and use of privately-owned residential and farm buildings, yards, gardens and land, as well as the creative adaption of local traditions. New settlers also try to influence the way in which the landscape is perceived by existent local communities. Through numerous agricultural, educational, and artistic activities they try to draw local citizens' attention to the space in which they live. Moreover, they try to wake local inhabitants to the necessity of landscape protection and the possibility of its transformation. They often attempt to collaborate with the local government regarding environmental protection, and lobby for the change of decisions that could negatively impact the environment. The different ways in which the landscape is viewed is one of the primary causes of conflict between these parties. This paper will analyze these issues through a variety of case-studies.