Street Roots •
Feb. 10-16, 2017
News
Page 5
Oregon brewers unite for Owyhee
For decades conservationists have been push in g fo r protection o f the Owyhee Canyonlands in Southeastern Oregon. Now craft brewers have
jovnea efforts to protect the largest swath o f untouched a n d unprotected wilderness in the lower 48 states.
BY EMILY GREEN
this high desert while helping farmers and ranchers build on
long-time local economic strengths.”
hen President Barack Obama left the White House
Many ranchers fear grazing rights would be revoked if the
lands are protected.
without declaring Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands a
“There is a lot of misinformation and fear about what this
national monument, he left the largest area of
proposal does and doesn’t do,” explained Owyhee Coalition
untouched wilderness in the lower 48 states unprotected.
Coordinator Corie Harlan. She said grazing is grandfathered
It was a victory for cattle ranchers and the 90 percent of
in with a wilderness designation, so fears about losing those
Malheur County voters who voted against long-running
rights are unfounded.
efforts to protect the 2.5 million acres of scenic desert and
The Owyhee Coalition consists of local and national
canyons the Owyhee River carved through southeastern
Oregon.
groups including Harlan’s employer, the Oregon Natural
Desert Association, The Pew Charitable Trust, Sierra Club,
But conservation groups fighting to protect the Owyhee
American Rivers and others. To date, 85,000 people have
for decades aren’t giving up, and now they have tie backing
signed petitions to protect Oregon’s Owyhee.
of a $4.5 billion Oregon industry: Oregon craft beer.
The canyonlands are One of a kind. They are home to 29
On Feb. 1, a group of 28 Oregon breweries, including
plant species that don’t exist anywhere else in thè world,
beverage giant Widmer Brothers Brewing, Bridgeport
said Harlan. Additionally, one of the nation’s largest herds of
Brewing, Deschutes Brewery and many popular
California bighorn sheep roam the area, along with Greater
microbreweries, signed off on a letter to U.S. Sens. Jeff
Sage Grouse, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and many
Merkley and Ron Wyden, asking them to protect the
other species. It’s also one of the best places in the country
Owyhee Canyonlands.
for stargazing, given the absence of light pollution.
The federally owned lands are under the management of
In September, Oregon’s Department of Geology and
U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Mineral Industries released,a study that showed Malheur
“We see the Owyhee Canyonlands as an opportunity to
County’ where the proposed monument is located, has rich
really protect something special,” said Hopworks Urban
supplies Of precious metals, Uranium, lithium and several
Brewery marketing manager Eric Steen, “the same way that
industrial minerals including bentonite, used för kitty litter,
we see protecting the area around the Bull Run and forests
S T A F F W R IT E R
»
in the Pacific Northwest as a really important
th in g b e c a u s e
m a k in g t h e e c o n o m ic a lly d e p r e s s e d a r e a r ip e fo r m in in g .
..
^ . u n e l e aT^hxnveve^Just howfeasible mining would be in
that m turn protectsourclean water.”
som e areas, given lim ited accessibility and rough te rra in .
Hopworks was one of 17 Portland-based breweries to sign
This study is “cause for concern,” said Harlan. “This is a
the letter, which pointed out that the brewing industry
landscape that is going to be under even more pressure
supports more than 30,000 jobs across the state.
seemingly with this new administration, so the place is
“Our business is built on the bedrock of clean water and a going to need even stronger defense.”
healthy environment,” the letter stated. “Protecting our
There are several mining operations and active natural
watersheds and public lands is critical to keeping Oregon
gas leases around the outer edges of the proposed
wilderness area, and conservationists fear it’s only a matter
craft beer flowing.”
*
-•
Merkley and Wyden introduced a bill in Congress this
of time before operations move into the untouched areas to
past June that would have protected the federal lands from
extract resources.
<
any new mines and blocked oil and gas drilling, but the bill
But natural resources aren’t the only economic factor to
consider. The area is a popular destination for hiking,
failed to make it out of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
fishing, hunting and rafting.
In 2016, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association
“I share the brewers’ realization about the clear link
commissioned an independent third-party study to examine
between recreation and Oregon’s world-renowned craft
brews,” Wyden said in response to the letter. I also look
the economic contributions generated by outdoor recreation
forward to collaborating with the brewers and aU those who
in the Owyhee region of Malheur County.
work and recreate in the Owyhee on solutions that protect
The research firm, Southwick and Associates, determined
that outdoor recreation activities in the Owyhee wilderness
contributes $66.6 million and 729 full and part-time jobs to
the Malheur County economy annually.
“Evidence suggests that visitation to a region can vary
following a change in designation of public land,” stated the
study. “The designation, such as Conservation Area, may
communicate or signal a caliber of natural resources and
wildlife-related opportunities, thereby motivatiiig potential
users to visit the area.”
\
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Ross Putnam, head brewer at Portland’s Base Camp
Brewing Co., has been supportive of the effort to conserve
the Owyhee since 2015.
He said he fell in love with the wilderness when he first
visited the Owyhee Canyonlands in the autumn of 2015 with
the idea of brewing a beer inspired by the area for his
brewery’s location series.
“I just found it to be a really special place,” he said. The
resulting beer was the Owyhee Canyonlands Wild Ale, still
on tap at his Portland brew pub.
But Oregon craft breweries conservation efforts don’t end
with the Owyhee.
* “One of the major pushes that we have right now,” said
Putnam, “is the Oregon Brewshed Alliance.” 4
O regon Wild convened th e O regon B rew sh ed Alliance in
A pril of 2015, and sin ce th e n it’s ra ise d a b o u t $ 2 5 ,0 0 0
t o w a r d s t h e n o n p r o f i t ’s c o n s e r v a t i o n e f f o r t s . T h e a l l i a n c e i s
focused on m aintaininghealthy w atersheds throughonV th e
sta te .
“Not only does it give us a network of businesses that we
can reach out to,” said Oregon Wild spokesperson Arran
Robertson, “but they help connect us with audiences we
might not otherwise reach. They host events and
fundraisers for us, and we work with their staff and
customers to make the connection between clean water and
protected public lands.”
The Oregon Brewshed Alliance has 34 partners, including
McMenamins, Ninkasi, Portland Brewing and pFriem.
Putnam said there are other environmental initiatives
among local brewers, including an increased focus on raw
ingredients, specifically with the introduction of a Salmon-
Safe label for hops grown in ways that are consistent with
watershed health.
__________, •
emily@streetroots.org