The Doug flag, also referred to as the Cascadian flag or the Cascadia Doug flag and nicknamed "Old Doug" Note: Reprinted by the

Discovery Institute The Discovery Institute (DI) is a conservatism in the United States, politically conservative think tank that advocates the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific concept Article available froUniversiteit Gent of intelligent design (ID). It was fou ...

. or simply "the Doug", is one of the primary symbols and an unofficial flag of the Cascadia bioregion, which roughly encompasses the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

s of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and Washington, the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and other parts of North America's

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. It was designed by

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

native Alexander Baretich in the academic year of 1994–1995. It is named after the

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

, featured on the flag.

Conception and description

The Doug flag was designed by Portland, Oregon native Alexander Baretich in the academic year of 1994–1995. He recalled: According to the Cascadia Department of Bioregion, the flag symbolizes "the natural beauty and inspiration that the Pacific Northwest provides, and is a direct representation of the bioregion". The flag is a tricolor consisting of three horizontal stripes of blue, white, and green, charged with a single

tree in the center. The blue stripe represents the sky,

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

and

Salish Sea The Salish Sea ( ) is a List of seas on Earth #Terminology, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia and the States of the United States , U.S. state of Washingto ...

, as well as the myriad of rivers in the bioregion including the Columbia, the Snake, and Fraser Rivers. The white represents clouds and snow and the green represents the region's countless fields and evergreen forests. The tree symbolizes "endurance, defiance and resilience against fire, flood, catastrophic change, and ever increasingly against the anthropocentric man". According to Baretich and CascadiaNow!, "all these symbols of color and images come together to symbolize what being Cascadian is all about."

Usage

The Cascadian Flag is copyrighted by Alexander Baretich and his company the Cascadian Flag Cooperative, Inc., which claims to enforce protection of the ideals espoused by the flag's creator in its use. Since its inception, Baretich's design has gained popularity and earned status as the unofficial flag of Cascadia. In 2014, Kelton Sears of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' said the flag "has quickly become the dominant symbol of the nascent Cascadian identity", appearing on microbreweries' beer labels and at local events, including

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

games,

gay pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, Social equality, equality, and increas ...

parades, environmental protests, and activities affiliated with the

Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...

. The flag appeared for some time on boxes of beer from Phillips Brewing in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

., though this no longer appears to be the case. The

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

-based folk band

Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backin ...

included the flag on the back of their 2011 studio album ''

Helplessness Blues ''Helplessness Blues'' is the second studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on May 3, 2011, by Sub Pop and Bella Union. The album received universal acclaim from critics, going on to be nominated for Best Folk Album at the 54th Annu ...

''. In 2015, Baretich expressed his hope that his designs "would not be used for hate, exploitation, and anything that goes against the values or principles of bioregionalism". Furthermore, he said, "In seeking out a bioregional flag, I believe that it's the bioregion that captures the artist—not the artist capturing the bioregion." The flag featured as part of

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

's 2021–2022 home jersey, being displayed on the back near the neckline.

References

External links

Oh, Cascadia!… What Are You, Exactly?
by Sally McCoy (September 26, 2013), ''The Corvallis Advocate''
The Cascadian Flag: A Transformative Icon
by Alexander Baretich (November 10, 2014), Free Cascadia
Bioregion of Cascadia
Oregon Flag Registry
CascadiaNow! advocates shift in culture, not secession
by Alicia Halberg (May 24, 2012), ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

''
The Washington State Flag Sucks
by Kelton Sears (August 26, 2014), ''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...

''
Solidarity! Cascadia Around Town
by Brianna Brey (January 24, 2013), ''The Source Weekly'' {{Portal bar, Canada, Heraldry, Oregon, United States, Visual arts 1994 establishments in the United States Activism flags Canada–United States relations Culture of British Columbia Culture of the Pacific Northwest Flags introduced in 1994 Separatism in Canada Separatism in the United States Unofficial flags Cascadia movement

Conception and description

Usage

See also

References

External links