• Blog: The hidden challenges of stewardship
• Protecting 193 Acres with precision and permanence
• Double your impact at the Spring Fundraiser 
• Schedule released: 2026 Forterra Nature Discovery™

What 17,000 acres really requires

Hello friend,

Stewarding 17,000 acres doesn’t look like one thing – there’s no one ‘how-to-steward’ blueprint. Each property has its own peculiarities, requiring a unique approach to stewardship.

Much of the day-to-day responsibility falls to a dedicated two-person team: Dan Murdoch, Forterra’s Senior Director of Property Management, and Jacob Childers, Project Manager for Real Estate. As Dan puts it: “It’s not just acres of forests and green spaces. Sometimes it’s an easement in the middle of a city block. Each property is so different – you have to reinvent what stewardship means every time you begin caring for a new property.”

Those differences can be dramatic. At Stubbs in South Prairie Creek – “the final puzzle piece” in the 330-acre South Prairie Creek Preserve – the team has navigated everything from a hoarded home and large structures that had to be removed due to toxic risk to the watershed, to an encampment that formed on the property, including several gigantic RVs.

“Monitoring is a big part of stewarding the 17,000 acres in our care,” Dan says. “That means getting our feet on the ground and assessing what changes on the landscape over time.”

And then there’s Morse Wildlife Preserve where wetlands, upland forest, and prairie each bring their own needs, from managing invasive reed canary grass to maintaining boardwalks and caring for dilapidated buildings on the property. Stewardship is also powered by community: at Morse, a dedicated volunteer team of ten, known as the “Morse Force,” has been showing up for thirty years.

As Dan reminds us, acquiring a property is only the beginning of the journey, not the end. “The value of conserving properties under threat is easy for donors to understand,” Dan remarks. But long-term donor support makes possible the behind-the-scenes work that sustains health conservation and keeps Washington’s special places thriving.

Read the full article: The hidden challenges of stewardship

Protecting 193 Acres — With Precision and Permanence

Conservation easements safeguard floodplain farmland with environmental and community benefits 

Forterra recently completed the permanent protection of 193 acres of productive farmland in the Stillaguamish River floodplain – two adjacent properties totaling 108 and 85 acres along Pioneer Highway. Through carefully structured conservation easements, these lands will remain in agricultural use in perpetuity while also advancing floodplain function and long-term climate resilience.

Projects like this demonstrate Forterra’s deep conservation real estate expertise. From property analysis and valuation to negotiating easement terms and aligning agricultural viability with ecological performance, Forterra’s team works at the intersection of land, law, and long-term stewardship. In a dynamic floodplain, that precision matters: well-designed easements keep land in farming while ensuring rivers have room to move, reducing downstream flood risk and protecting fish-bearing waters.

This winter’s extreme weather underscored the importance of that approach, as the Snohomish River reached its highest levels in 25 years. Protected farmland in floodplains helps store and slow floodwaters, filter runoff, build soil health, and support local food systems — benefits that grow more valuable as climate pressures intensify.

As a trusted conservation real estate partner, Forterra now manages more than 100 conservation easements covering over 8,000 acres statewide. Each transaction reflects the same commitment: pairing technical rigor with long-term community benefit to ensure Washington’s working lands remain resilient for generations to come.

Double your impact on the future 

Our annual fundraiser is only weeks away, this is your chance to take your place at the table – literally – to shape the future of Forterra, and to do so with twice the impact. 

The Forterra Board has created a $58,000 match for the event – doubling your impact – conserving more forests, farms, parks and trails, restoring more shorelines, and strengthening more communities across the Pacific Northwest. 

Join us for an evening that ensures the lands and communities of the Pacific Northwest remain healthy, resilient, and accessible for generations to come.  

P.S – If you’re unable to join us in person this year, you can still be part of the impact by making a gift in lieu of attending.

Thank you to all our corporate sponsors, with special thanks to Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines for being our Champion Sponsors.

Event Details
Forterra’s Spring Fundraiser: “When the Trees Speak:
Listening, Learning, and Acting for the Land We Love” with Lynda Mapes
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Time: 5:30-8:00 PM
Where: Fremont Foundry, 154 N 35th St, Seattle, WA 98103

Just announced:
2026 Forterra Nature Discovery™ schedule

Here is a sneak-peek into 2026 Forterra Nature Discovery™ event calendar. We are working to keep nature in your world. Check out the line-up and set your reminders.  

Two events are already available for registration:

Forterra Nature Discovery ™: Spring’s Return
Date: Saturday, March 28
Time: 11 am – 1 pm
Register Now>

Forterra Nature Discovery ™: Spring Discoveries
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Register Now>

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