Welcome! Here we describe our work, a daunting task. Describing what we do is difficult; showing what we do is much simpler.
Let’s get the obvious question out of the way first. What is a fermata?
The fermata is a musical symbol, often called the “bird’s eye.” The fermata directs a musician to hold a note longer than indicated by the note value. In other words, the musician should sustain the musical tone until directed to continue with the score.
The fermata, in this sense of sustain, inspired Ted Eubanks to launch Fermata Inc. (the company) in 1992. He began with a rotary-dial telephone and a pick-up truck, and a fervent belief in private sector solutions for social issues such as conservation. Ted also believed that by connecting people to special places they would see value in their protection.
Connecting people to special places creates a rationale for their protection.
The webpages that follow describe our work in detail, and offer examples of what we do. Please sift through the website, and contact us if we can help you with finding specifically what you need.
Our work generally coalesces around five distinct fields – community development, interpretation, recreation, tourism, and conservation. Often, they overlap and interlink. For example, our sustainable tourism initiatives invariably involve communities, recreation, and conservation.
The work with a variety of places to further the interests of communities, recreation, tourism, and conservation. These places include the following:
- Beaches and Coastal Landscapes
- Cemeteries and Churches
- Conservation Landscapes
- Forests
- Heritage Areas
- House Museums
- Interpretive Trails – Birding, Wildlife, Historic, and Nature Trails
- KBAs (Key Biodiversity Areas)
- Museums
- Nature Centers
- Parks and Park System Planning
- Public Spaces
- Recreational Planning
- Recreational Trails
- Rural Communities
- Scenic Byways
- Urban Centers
The services that Fermata offers are interlinked as well. Recreational planning, for example, invariably leads to interpretive work. Trails lead to interpretive and wayfinding signs; signs lead to apps. The following are examples of the services that we provide.
- Content Development
- Digital Media
- Interpretive and Recreational Planning
- Interpretive Signs and Printed Materials
- Interpretive Trail Development
- Marketing and Branding
- Photography
- Primary Research
- Resource Assessment
- Sustainable Economic Development
- Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Research