Things aren鈥檛 looking so great for public lands right now. The acting director for the Bureau of Land Management is someone who previously advocated for selling off the acreage he now oversees. The Department of Interior is 聽to oil and gas drilling and mining. The U.S. Forest Service聽 on a new policy that would drastically scale back public input on proposed projects.
Despite the fact that the people in charge are bent on undermining them, nonprofits and NGOs have been working tirelessly聽to save our public lands, and now they鈥檙e getting some backup from craft breweries.
This fall, , based in Missoula, Montana, released Public Land聽Owner, an American pale ale聽brewed for everyone who enjoys or appreciates such聽places.聽鈥淲e wanted to appeal to the craft-beer drinker, but we wanted it to be sessionable enough鈥濃攖hat is, consumed it in large quantities over a lengthy period without the drinker fading鈥斺渢o also appeal to a wide audience,鈥 says Hannah Talbott, Highlander Beer鈥檚 general manager.聽
Three percent of the beer鈥檚 proceeds will benefit , a North American network of sportspeople that works to protect public lands. It鈥檚 also headquartered in Missoula, and Talbott says many of the brewery employees are BHA members. 鈥淚t really aligns with our values, so it was a perfect fit,鈥 she says.
The name of the beer comes from the BHA鈥檚 most popular T-shirt, which is splashed with the same words. 鈥淓veryone is a public-lands owner,鈥 says Talbott. Which means all of us should have a stake in what happens to one of our most precious resources鈥攁nd we should never forget it.
Right now, Public Land聽Owner is only available in Montana, but Highlander isn鈥檛 the only beer company supporting these treasured places. Fat Tire just wrapped up that raised $160,000 for public-lands-focused groups, including the Trust for Public Lands, , and . The brewery聽, based in Bend, Oregon,聽gives 1 percent of its proceeds annually to Outdoor Alliance, another nonprofit focused on public lands and conservation issues. offers two beers, Long Root Pale Ale and Long Root Wit, and the brand聽has been one of the聽fiercest corporate fighters for public lands over these past few years.聽聽
To be totally clear, though: buying beer is not enough to get us through this fight. Yes, it鈥檚 a great way to support businesses that care, but we can鈥檛 sip our way to victory. Call your elected representatives, volunteer with your local advocacy group, and donate money to organizations leading the charge. Once you鈥檝e done all that, then you can toast your good work.