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Responsible Building Demands Responsible Land Stewardship

August 16, 2019

Responsible Building Demands Responsible Land Stewardship

Responsible building demands responsible land stewardship. This is a reality that Blue Fern Homes has grasped from the very beginning of our business. Property development should be approached with respect for how we impact the region—landscapes, habitats, infrastructure, and the people who live and work there.

We are partnering with Forterra, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to land conservation in the Pacific Northwest. They began in 1989 with the mission to protect wildlands, but expanded their view a few years later to include working land as well. To date, Forterra’s efforts have conserved 100,000 acres of working farmland, forests, shorelines, parks, and natural areas. 

But Forterra wants to do more. Their goal is to protect 1.3 million acres, while also supporting the growth of affordable housing and safe communities. They set their sights on including open spaces for all residents to enjoy, good schools for children, and reasonable commutes.  Blue Fern Homes agrees that this is not only a valuable objective, but a doable one.

From the sale of every Blue Fern home, we’re making a donation to Forterra to provide ongoing support as they work toward their goal.

Where does this contribution go?

Our goal for 2019 is to donate enough to conserve seven acres. Currently, Forterra is actively working to secure 4 key pieces of land: 

Little Skookum Inlet, 816 acres of river habitat, wetland, and forest, plus 2 miles of marine shoreline;

Maloney Creek and Forest, more than 50 acres of forest that is home to such endangered species as the marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl;

Windy Ridge, 350 acres that have never been logged, with 300-year-old silver fir, Douglas fir, and hemlock towering over the forest; and 

Van Wyk Ranch, spanning almost 4,500 acres of rolling hills, flatlands, steep slopes, and shrub-steppe, which is threatened by climate and wildfires that put both the land and the wildlife at risk.

These active campaigns stretch across various ecosystems—from shorelines to old-growth forests to steppe landscape east of the mountains, all rich with incredible wildlife. They present unique and important habitat qualities from salmon, orca, elk, butterflies, and more, all vital to a sustainable future. 

As a local homebuilder with deep roots in the Seattle area, Blue Fern Homes will continue to focus on sustainability so that we can all hold onto a more promising future. 

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