2025
annual report
Land for Good™. Now and for What’s Next.
485
acres protected
180
acres returned to
Yakama Nation
17,000
acres actively
stewarded
2,248
people engaged
$11.2M
conservation
value created
Every
$1
leveraged 5X
A Message from Board Chair Ruth True and President & CEO Michelle Connor
In a year of rapid change, timing mattered more than ever. Across Washington, forests, farms, community spaces, and culturally significant lands continue to face increasing pressure from development, climate impacts, and rising costs. In 2025, Forterra moved quickly to secure land, unlock funding, strengthen partnerships, and advance projects that will shape communities for generations.
This year, your support helped protect critical landscapes, return culturally significant land to Tribal ownership, restore habitat, and steward places that connect people and nature across the Pacific Northwest. From the return of Frog’s Home to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation to the completion of Strong Communities Fund property transitions into community ownership, these projects reflect Forterra’s belief that land can and should serve communities over the long term.
As we look ahead, Forterra continues to advance a new generation of conservation, restoration, and community-centered projects across Washington. This work requires urgency, partnership, and long-term commitment, and we are deeply grateful to everyone helping build what comes next.
With gratitude,
Ruth True
Board Chair
Michelle Connor
President & CEO
REAL ESTATE FOR IMPACT
Forterra works at the point where decisions about land are made. We combine real estate expertise, partnerships, and funding to shape outcomes that benefit communities and the environment over the long term.
Acting Before Land Is Lost
Across Washington, development pressure, rising costs, and climate impacts are narrowing the window to protect important landscapes. Forterra works at the front edge of these decisions, moving quickly to secure land, structure partnerships, and unlock funding before opportunities are lost. At the same time, many projects require years of persistence and coordination to achieve the right long-term outcome.
Save Our Shoreline
Forterra established a new partnership with Save Our Shoreline in Franklin County, a Tri-Cities area conservation group whose mission is to protect Columbia River riparian areas and build regional conservation capacity.
Forterra’s role in this new partnership is to contribute real estate expertise, while learning from local leaders’ community knowledge with the aim of protecting the Columbia River shoreline for people and wildlife.
Structuring Complex Deals
Every property is different, and no two transactions are the same. Forterra works with landowners, Tribal governments, public agencies, and community partners to structure complex deals that balance conservation, community priorities, and long-term stewardship. This work requires creativity, coordination, and the ability to align land, funding, and partnerships for lasting impact.
Strong Communities Fund
In 2025, Forterra completed the final transitions of properties acquired through the Strong Communities Fund, fulfilling a long-term commitment to community ownership and self-determination. Properties in Tacoma, Tukwila, and Seattle now support affordable housing, cultural space, and community-centered development aligned with local vision and priorities.
The Strong Communities Fund projects reflect Forterra’s belief that land can and should serve communities over the long term.
Holding, Restoring, and Transferring Land
Forterra’s role extends beyond acquisition. We hold land when needed, restore ecological function, and transfer properties in alignment with long-term community and environmental goals. This approach creates flexibility to respond to changing conditions while ensuring land is positioned for lasting impact.
Kachess Lodge
In 2025, Forterra completed the removal of dilapidated structures at the former Old Kachess Lodge property near Swamp Lake, helping prepare the site for a future wildlife corridor under I-90 as part of the long-term Snoqualmie Pass East Project. Before restoration work advanced, the property also supported live training exercises for Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue volunteers. Learn more: Kachess Lodge – blog
WHERE STRATEGY MEETS IMPACT
From conservation and community ownership to restoration and resilience, these projects demonstrate how strategy, partnership, and persistence create lasting impact across Washington.
Frog’s Home: Returning Land. Restoring Relationship.
Known as Alukw’át Nisháykt, or “Frog’s Home,” the 180-acre property along the Yakima River near Union Gap includes productive wetlands, native grasslands, cottonwood forests, and important habitat for salmon, trout, migratory birds, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. Together with the Yakama Nation, Forterra raised more than $2 million to complete the permanent protection and return of this culturally and ecologically significant landscape.
As Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis shared, “The Frog’s Home property is an ancestral place that we hold in high regards…We are honored and deeply thankful for the work that has been done by Forterra working with our staff to protect this important place. Learn more: Frog’s Home press release 2025
Tacoma Sportsmen’s Club: Protecting Land Under Pressure.
The property includes the headwaters of Clover Creek, where cool water temperatures support salmon and other aquatic species. Wetlands throughout the site help filter runoff, reduce downstream flooding, and protect a critical aquifer recharge area essential to regional water quality. As Tacoma Sportsmen’s Club Conservation Land Foundation President Michael Slevin shared, the project reflects “the intersection of conservation, public access, and a long-standing recreational tradition.” Learn more: Tacoma Sportsman’s press release
SUSTAINING LAND,
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES
Conservation does not end when a deal closes. Across Washington, Forterra stewards more than 17,000 acres of forests, wetlands, farms, and community spaces to ensure these landscapes continue to benefit people and nature for generations to come.
IN 2025:
- More than 600 volunteers showed up to restore land, contributing time and energy to places they care abou
- 12,000 trees were planted, providing cleaner air, cooler summers, and neighborhoods better prepared for climate impacts
- Nearly 2,000 youth engaged through Community Restoration Grants, completing approximately 10,000 hours of education and hands-on restoration
This work ensures that protected lands continue to function, adapt, and thrive over time. Learn more about the Evergreen Restoration Program and Community Restoration Program.
Building Capacity for Long-Term Impact
In 2025, Forterra continued strengthening the systems, processes, and culture needed to support long-term impact. Guided by a three-year rolling strategic plan with annual objectives that are actively monitored and measured, the organization remains focused on aligning resources and operations to advance conservation, restoration, and community-centered outcomes. Supported by a lean and highly skilled team, Forterra continues to build the organizational resilience needed to care for land, strengthen communities, and respond to the challenges ahead.
Financials
Our 2025 financial statements will be posted following completion of our annual audit (June 2026).
Join us
Land for Good™ requires long-term commitment, partnership, and investment. Together, we are building what comes next. Forterra conserves and restores the lands that sustain us while helping shape resilient, thriving places where nature and people can flourish together for generations to come. This work is only possible through the support of people who care deeply about the future of the Pacific Northwest.
