Bird-themed beer raises awareness of drought issues
Audubon Arizona wants you to remember the Colorado River’s chronically overallocated water, and the wildlife that depend on it, before you start drinking like a fish.
On Saturday, Audubon unveiled the Rain Crow IPA, a beer named after the threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo, in hopes the craft brewing community will champion conservation on the river that serves some 40 million people in seven states and Mexico.
Like other conservation groups, Audubon is looking for new ways to spread its conservation message.
“It’s been an easy sell, honestly,” said Steven Prager, Audubon Arizona Important Bird Areas program associate. “(Brewers) want to see their craft have an honest impact on the community they’re working in.”
Beer, like birds and people, couldn’t exist without water. Audubon officials and brewers hope the campaign will raise awareness for the Colorado River as water managers work to craft a drought contingency plan in time for the next state legislative session.
The ale will be available while supplies last at Wren House Brewing Company in Phoenix, as well as Borderlands Brewing Company and Crooked Tooth Brewing Company in Tucson. Each can has a message that reads: “Craft beer depends on reliable water, and so do birds like the federally threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo. That’s why craft brewers and the National Audubon Society are advocating across the Colorado River Basin for water policies that keep great beer (and rivers) flowing.”
A team of sustainable brewers
An old saying used across the West says whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting. The Western Rivers Brewers’ Council counters that “craft beer is for bringing people together.”
The council is part of Audubon’s Western Rivers Action Network, a grassroots group with 65,000 members dedicated to conservation along the Colorado River and its tributaries. Members hope to reach beyond Audubon’s typical audience and reach lawmakers by mobilizing conservationminded small business, like breweries.
“It’s no surprise to them that Colorado River water is critical to the ongoing well being of not only their business, but their town and their economy and the places they care about,” Prager said.
Audubon looked to partner with member breweries in Arizona that show a strong conservation ethic. And Wren House Brewing Company already has a bird in its name, “so we couldn’t not go to them,” he said.
They hope the Rain Crow IPA campaign can get water talks out of the weeds for people who are new to the discussion.
Rain crow is the colloquial name for the western yellow-billed cuckoo, a bird that used to be common across the Colorado River Basin. Habitat erosion has reduced their population to small clusters in Arizona, California and New Mexico, according to Audubon Arizona.
A western yellow-billed cuckoo spends most of its life in Central and South America before visiting the U.S. for monsoon season.
Risks on the Colorado
While more water is allocated from the Colorado River than flows into its reservoirs, Arizona continues in its historic long-term drought. Water managers and environmentalists with Audubon agree: Now is the time to act on the Colorado River and now is the time to educate the public on the risks they face.
“The real audience we need to reach is here in Phoenix,” said Michael Mallozzi, president of Borderlands Brewing Company in Tucson. “Not to paint with too broad of a brush, but I think we’re kind of preaching to the choir in (places like) Tucson.”
Levels at the Lake Mead reservoir have been hovering near shortage levels for weeks, clocking in this week at about 1,077 feet above sea level.
Drought talks in place
After June’s visit from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman, a steering committee made up of nearly 40 water managers, developers and legislators have started discussions on a DCP for Arizona.
While officials hammer out the details for a drought plan and ask the public for feedback — something many will likely drink to — brewers, customers and anyone concerned about the Colorado River’s future can start that discussion over a beer.
“What doesn’t depend on water in Arizona? Rivers are disproportionately valuable to birds and clean, reliable water is the most important ingredient in any beer,” Prager said. “If DCP is a call for anything, it’s a call for collaboration.”
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at OurGrandAZ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.