The Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP) is poised to receive around $300 for environmental projects after partnering with Copper River Brewing for a fundraising initiative this month.
Through September, the brewery announced it would donate $1 from every Kveik IPA beer sold to CRWP to support wild salmon passage in the Copper River Delta region. Christiana Fincher, owner of Copper River Brewing, told The Cordova Times that even though the month isn’t over yet, she has an estimate of the number of IPAs likely to sell to benefit the Watershed Project.
“We expect to sell 300 beers before the promotion is up,” said Fincher. “If it’s successful we hope to do more similar partnerships in the future.”
The Keivk IPA is the brewery’s best seller and the flagship beer, she said. The name comes from the Scandinavian yeast from which the popular beer is made. Fincher says that the partnership seemed a natural fit for the two businesses that are steps away from one another on First Street.
“The Watershed Project is our neighbor and we thought it would be a fun promotion that could benefit us both,” Fincher said.
She says sport fishers drive business at the brewery during the month of September, and the brewery has begun operating during Sundays for the month to help take advantage of the seasonal visitors as well. The promotion has been successful from the partner’s standpoints and Fincher says there has noticeably been more interest in the IPA because of the extra attention surrounding the beer.
Kate Morse, executive director at CRWP, says the partnership on the nonprofit’s end came out of a brainstorming session amongst staff who had the idea to partner with a fellow business on First Street. Morse says that the timing of the promotion is intentional and CRWP hopes to reach visiting sports fishermen coming from out of town to target the Copper River coho.
Another way the two organizations have tried to entice patrons to enjoy the beer was by creating a colorful coaster with salmon imagery and a tagline of “Drink responsibly, donate recklessly.” The coaster features a scannable QR code that leads to the CRWP website for more information. Morse says that the fun artwork and slogan deliver a lighthearted opportunity for visiting sportsman to give back to the community surrounding the Copper River.
“We want to grab their attention and ideally get them to learn more about the work we do … to support healthy salmon habitat,” Morse said. “The coasters were a strategy to help get our name in front of some of the people who spend more time in waders on the Delta or at remote fishing camps than wandering into nonprofits.”
The funds raised through the partnership will support the fish passage programs such as stream bank remediation and culvert replacements. Culvert replacements along the Copper River Highway help migrating wild fish reach their spawning streams by providing uninterrupted access from one habitat to another. Old and outdated culverts are small and feature a circular bottom, which can restrict salmon and other species’ movements, causing both undue stress and delay in migration.
CRWP began culvert replacements along the highway in 2008 after identifying high priority stream passage areas that needed restorative attention. As of last year, the organization has invested more than $8.7 million into the fish passage programs directly impacting watershed health. The CRWP relies on stakeholder memberships, donations, and grant funding to support their extensive year-round efforts in the region — fish passage being cornerstone to the organization’s focus.
The promotion runs through the end of the month.
