BOEING’S EXTRAORDINARY GIFT OF $750,000 STRENGTHENS WORK OF THE CASCADE AGENDA

Seattle, May 1, 2008 -- The Cascade Land Conservancy has been awarded a $750,000 grant on behalf of The Boeing Company by its Puget Sound Global Corporate Citizenship function to support the work of The Cascade Agenda in forests, along creeks and streams and in the restoration of forested parks.
    The grant, one of the largest strategically invested with an environmental nonprofit by Boeing, comes as the Conservancy moves into the public phase of a $20 million Cascade Agenda Campaign, designed to implement the goals and strategies of The Agenda.  The Cascade Agenda, launched in May 2005, is a 100-year visionary regional program focused on conserving 1.3 million acres of working forests, farmlands and revitalize cities and towns throughout the region.
    About $15 million has been raised since the Campaign began in March 2007 from foundations, individuals, government and business.
“This grant reflects the far-reaching promise of The Cascade Agenda and the proven track record of the Cascade Land Conservancy,” said Mary Armstrong, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety for The Boeing Company. “Boeing is proud to continue its long-standing support for the environment because it helps us maintain the Puget Sound region as an attractive, vibrant and competitive place for our employees to live and work.”
 “This grant shows the power and reach of The Cascade Agenda,” said Gene Duvernoy, Cascade Land Conservancy president.  “It is a vote of confidence from the business community that The Agenda is worth investment at the highest levels.”
CLC will use the gift as a catalyst to accelerate its work on implementing the goals of The Agenda, which links significant land conservation with the need for housing choices, livable cities and a strong economy.
“The Cascade Agenda advances large-scale conservation and great communities,” said Mary Armstrong.  “It makes sense both for businesses and for all of us who call this beautiful region our home.”
Among the programs planned by The Cascade Agenda in the near future that will be funded in part by The Boeing Company are efforts to:
•    Conserve upland forests through Develop a Transfer of Development Rights program (TDR) in the Central Puget Sound. TDRs are seen as the best way to assist landowners who want to stay in active farm or forestry management and are at imminent risk of conversion.
•    Restore forested parklands through Green City programs in Seattle, Tacoma, Kirkland and other cities. Park restoration can help to limit stormwater runoff in urban creeks and streams that drain into the Sound.

“This is a great day for the Cascade Land Conservancy,” said Maryanne Tagney Jones, chair of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors.  “We are working to make a difference in this region we all love so well.”

About The Boeing Company: Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales.