The Future Is in Good Hands
Community Restoration Grants is one of Forterra’s newest programs. For Chief Governance, Policy & Innovations Officer, Kristi England, it is also one of the most innovative and exciting. Kristi says this emerged from seeing a gap in existing Forterra programs. It answered the question of “how do we cultivate a passion for the outdoors and excitement in restoration work – particularly those in historically underserved communities and smaller ones that wouldn’t otherwise get grant funding.”
The vision has borne rich fruit, empowering over 20 organizations and benefiting Indigenous people, a wide array of landscapes, and even wildlife. Three recipients give a sense of the breadth of the program.
- yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective worked to restore their property as a place where indigenous people from any tribe could come together to create art.
- Whale Scout fashioned an afterschool program to restore salmon habitat benefiting orcas through conservation of land near rivers.
- Freedom Farmers in the Olympia School District expanded their idea of high school students earning science credits by working on farms to include the 8th grade. Reports from the school district suggest an improvement in the health, well-being and school success of all participants.
Accessibility is another key aspect of the program, so the two-page application is straightforward and easy to complete without a grant writer. Kristi says it was important to remove every impediment.
She calls the program’s impacts “pretty phenomenal”, with all the recipients “so different and memorable in their own unique way.”
Young people and the future were hugely important to the major donors behind the program, Jim and Birte Falconer, founders of One Square Fund. Kristi says that ultimately “it’s about the kids getting excited about nature. Jim and Birte wanted more than anything to inspire young people with a love of the land and to nurture the next generation. This program is trying to cultivate that passion.”
Many Shades of Green: Celebrating 20 Years of Green Cities
As with many transformative ideas, Green Cities started small, but it was bold, created with passion, and it answered an urgent need – tackling urban forests in Seattle overrun with invasive plants. This idea grasped the truth that healthy forested parks clean our air and water, reduce flooding, cool our neighborhoods, and offer sanctuary for connection, reflection, and healing.
Over the past 20 years, this idea for greener cities grew into a movement, spreading from Seattle to 13 other cities and one county. Countless devoted volunteers have given over 1,700,000 hours of their time to transform well over 4,000 acres of urban forest, improving the quality of life for everyone in their cities and rekindling their bond with the living world.
Here’s to the next 20 years of growth – in every forest, every city, and every heart that keeps them thriving.
Check out our 20th Anniversary blog
Explore Our Green City Partnerships
Stewards of the Northwest: Nurturing the Lands that Nurture Us
We’re excited to announce the launch of a new program for recurring giving, called ‘Forterra Stewards’.
We recognize the importance of our monthly donors with the term ‘Steward’, a word that embodies the nurturing and dependable guardians whose ongoing support is needed to protect the future of our Pacific Northwest lands, forests, rivers and communities.
Discover all the reasons to join
Shielding Us from the Next Firestorm
We are honored that KBTC Tacoma Public Television chose to feature Forterra’s work in wildfire prevention in a special episode of KBTC’s ‘Northwest Now’ entitled ‘Fire On The Horizon’.
In a time of the increasing number and severity of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, Eric Koenig, a Forterra forest manager, walks through the woods pointing out the importance of smart forest management strategies on our Swamp Lake property along the I-90 corridor.
We appear at 22:40 in the episode – it’s well worth watching for an in depth look at all the people working together to protect our region.
See KBTC’s ‘Fire on The Horizon’
Sponsorship in Full Bloom
In the last two months, we’ve taken great pleasure in hosting two ‘Special Restoration Events’ at Crystal Springs Park in Tukwila for First Interstate Bank and Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines.
Both corporate sponsors gathered teams of volunteer employees who rolled up their sleeves and for a few hours experienced firsthand the value of conservation work in a city greenspace. Each event created perfect opportunities for team building – with the bonus of a trivia quiz for Forterra swag and snacks that, by all accounts, were rather tasty.
Our ever-enthusiastic Project Manager, Daniel Hachet, led both these events, maintaining the volunteers’ momentum and sharing a mine of knowledge about conservation work.
This note of thanks appeared in Daniel’s inbox just the other day:
“Thank you for hosting our group this past Friday for the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines ‘Week of Care’ Forterra event! The team had a wonderful time planting trees and we so appreciated learning about the local flora that makes up Crystal Springs park and why conservation work is so important to our city’s greenspaces…”
Abigail Zeller – Public Affairs Specialist, Alaska Airlines
Read more about the First Interstate Bank Event
Read more about the Alaska Airlines Event
Walking the Waterfront’s Story: A Journey through Seattle’s Renewal
We closed out summer with a fascinating behind-the-scenes walking tour of Seattle’s reimagined waterfront, joined by a visionary behind its transformation, Patrick Gordon, Principal at ZGF Architects, LLP.
Patrick brought the project to life for a group of Forterra supporters with design insights and surprising details that make this a world-class public space. What role do salmon-friendly sidewalks play? How did more than 200 agencies find common ground to make this project possible? What lessons can we take away as we reshape our region’s future?
Forterra was an early supporter of this inspiring urban project.
Celebrate the Power of People and Place
Join Forterra and Perkins Coie for an evening of inspiration, community and connection.
Hear directly form Forterra’s partners about the transformative impact of conservation, restoration and community-driven solutions across WA.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 19 – 4:30 PM Happy Hour, 5:30 PM Program
Where : Perkins Coie, 1301 Second Avenue, Suite 4200, Seattle, WA 98101
Admission is free with RSVP Required by Nov. 7
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