WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME?

Our organization has outgrown the name Cascade Land Conservancy :

• “Cascade” no longer represents our geographic reach.  We have initiatives in Pierce, Snohomish, Kittitas and King Counties, as well as the Olympic Peninsula.
• “Land Conservancy” no longer represents the breadth of our work – we will continue to do traditional land conservation and stewardship, but we also have incorporated urban and rural community initiatives as part of our conservation efforts.
• The references to both “cascade” and “land conservancy” became a barrier as we started to expand our geographic footprint and the type of work that we do.

Background

In 2005, we launched The Cascade Agenda, a long-range vision and immediate action plan for the region. Through it, we came to realize that our cities, suburbs and rural towns are an important part of the solution. If we create great communities where people choose to live, we can protect rural working and natural lands from sprawling development. Since then, we have been actively advancing programs and policies in our urban environments, restoring urban green space, empowering residents to advocate in their communities and championing groundbreaking policies that marry land conservation with urban revitalization. In 2007, we expanded our conservation efforts to the Olympic Peninsula with a project in Mason County. Building off the success of The Cascade Agenda, we began work on The Olympic Agenda, a similar long-range vision and action plan that recognizes that integrated significance of strong economies and sustainable communities for the conservation of great lands.

WHY FORTERRA?

• Forterra means “for the earth,” a powerful statement that represents our landscape-scale work.
• As an invented word, Forterra is an open vessel that enables us to continue adapting as an organization.

Nationally renowned branding firm Hornall Anderson led us through the naming process gratis. After months of ideation sessions and input from staff, supporters, trustees, and board members, we chose Forterra from a pool of 650 candidates. Forterra is a name that looks ahead to where we need to go in the coming decades.

Why Does The “E” In Your Logo Look Like That?

• The “E” in our wordmark is an ampersand, a graphic representation of the word “and.”
• This organization has always worked across boundaries with an inclusive, pragmatic, regional approach to conservation. The ampersand also represents the duality of our work – urban and rural, working and natural lands, habitat and recreation.
• The ampersand is a powerful visual representation of the connections that Forterra makes between two seemingly disparate items.

WHAT DOES THE NAME CHANGE MEAN FOR THE ORGANIZATION?

• We remain fully committed to conserving our region’s most precious lands and stewarding them to the highest of standards.
• We still stand by our principles of collaboration, innovation and creativity. Changing our name is not a deviation of our mission. It is the recognition of the evolution we have undergone over time to advance our mission ever further.
• Our new name will allow us to fully recognize our commitment to livable and affordable cities and towns and reflect the pragmatic, market based solutions-oriented approach that we bring to our work.