Cascade Land Conservancy changes name to Forterra as it expands its mission

Responding to the growth and evolution of the organization, Cascade Land Conservancy — one of Washington’s leading land conservation organizations — announced last night that it has changed its name to Forterra.

“This name change is a testament to our organization’s continued dedication to the region,” said Forterra President Gene Duvernoy. “Forterra represents our holistic approach to land conservation, which recognizes that healthy lands, great communities and strong economies are all equally necessary to create a sustainable region.”

The name Forterra was chosen among hundreds of suggestions from staff, board members, constituents and supporters. Nationally renowned branding firm Hornall Anderson guided the organization through the process, gratis.

“When I was introduced to Cascade Land Conservancy’s work I was immediately impressed by their collaborative approach and was enthusiastic about helping them find a name that matched their reputation and work,” said Hornall Anderson co-Founder and CEO Jack Anderson. “Simply stated, Forterra means they are for the earth. It is an open vessel that allows them to continue to adapt to the needs of the community and effectively advance their important and broad mission.”

Since Forterra’s foundation in 1989, the organization has conserved more than 173,000 acres of rural and working land. In recent years, Forterra’s work as a traditional land trust rooted in the Cascades has grown significantly to include conservation work on the Olympic Peninsula and cutting-edge conservation techniques that merge urban policy with land conservation.

In 2005, the organization’s programmatic scope saw a marked expansion with the creation of the Cascade Agenda — a long-range, regional vision and action plan. The Agenda broke ground by recognizing cities’ critical role in land conservation. It hinges on the fact that attractive, affordable, livable cities with thriving economies help conserve land by providing an alternative to the development of low-density, sprawling communities on our dwindling wild and working rural lands. Forterra has helped build community gardens, pushed Complete Streets initiatives and transit-oriented development plans, provided smart-growth technical assistance and more in cities around the region.

In the following years, Forterra expanded their conservation efforts to Mason County, quickly recognizing that a regional vision for the entire Olympic Peninsula was necessary to have a significant impact and thus began the creation of the Olympic Agenda.

Best known locally for its Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program, Forterra championed this Program in the 2011 state legislative session. Signed into law in May, the Program combines the Transfer of Development Rights conservation tool with Tax Increment Financing. The game-changing law allows landowners to realize the development value of their land while cities get the often-scarce financing they need for revitalization projects.