Oregon Brewshed® partners making conservation successes possible!
Last year, Brewshed partners statewide really stepped up to show their support for conservation. From collaboration beers and hosting events to making generous donations and voicing their support to key decision-makers, you all made a huge impact in 2024.
Your support helped us secure the reintroduction of the River Democracy Act to protect over 3,200 miles of Oregon's rivers, surpass 1,000,000 public comments calling on the Forest Service to protect our mature and old-growth forests for their immense climate benefits, and reinstate protections for 7+ million acres across six national forests in eastern Oregon and eastern Washington!
And we've already notched the first big win of 2025 by better protecting mature and old-growth forests on the Mount Hood National Forest by reaching a key settlement in the Grasshopper timber sale. (pictured above)
In total, Oregon Brewshed® Alliance partners donated nearly $40,000 to support Oregon Wild's conservation efforts, brewed seven delicious collaborations, and helped spread public awareness about just how important clean water is to making world-class beer and cider! Special thanks to Schilling Cider, pFriem Family Brewers, Breakside Brewery, Hopworks, Sunriver Brewing, Avid Cider, Deschutes Sunriver Brewing, Binary Brewing, Leikam Brewing, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Yakima Chief Hops, Coleman Agriculture, Crosby Hops, and the Oregon Brewery Running Series for going above and beyond in 2024!
We have some big plans this year and more details to come. But in the meantime, if you have an idea for a collaboration or some other fun way to help advance conservation, let us know! To share your ideas or to make your annual donation, please email us.
Help Defend Our Forests!
The Forest Service recently released a proposal to weaken the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP)—the landmark policy that has helped safeguard our region’s iconic old-growth forests, clean water, and wildlife habitat for nearly 30 years. If enacted, these changes would double or even triple logging levels across our public forests, open mature and old-growth trees to chainsaws, and sideline the protections that communities, wildlife, and ecosystems depend on.
The Forest Service must hear from everyone who cares about these forests. Rather than their proposed amendments, the Northwest Forest Plan should instead expand protections for the network of forest reserves to recruit habitat needed by imperiled species, protect streamside habitat that provides cool, clean water supplies for communities and salmon (and beer!), and ensure these forests continue to achieve their potential as carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change. These goals can all be achieved by protecting mature and old-growth forests from logging while also supporting Tribal sovereignty and environmental justice.
Learn more and sign Oregon Wild's petition here or craft a personal comment with the resources found here.
Brewshed® Partner of the Month: Avid Cider!
Last Fall, Avid Cider Co. stepped up in a big way with their Northwest Is Our Core campaign! This two-month-long campaign raised awareness and funds for protecting forests, wildlife, and watersheds across the Pacific Northwest.
From donating a portion of sales, to giving away National Parks passes, creating some very cool merch, and getting our hands dirty on a brisk Friday in Bend to restore a section of riparian area along the Wild & Scenic Deschutes River, Avid’s team went above and beyond last year to help protect Oregon’s wild places.
Avid was founded in 2013 and joined the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance in 2024, becoming one of our newest Brewshed partners! We look forward to continuing our work with Avid in the years to come to protect and restore the forests and waters that make our state such an incredible place to live, work, and enjoy great beer (and cider)!
BREWSHED® BREWS IN THE WILD
Congratulations to our friends at Grand Fir Brewing for their second anniversary. We're suckers for any brewery that so proudly displays their love of old growth on their walls!
Grand Fir's West Coast IPA collaboration with Grains of Wrath was just a phenomenal beer and it really added to a perfect scene along the Wild & Scenic Whychus Creek earlier this winter. Cheers!