Drinking a beer at the Oregon Zoo can now help save the endangered California condor. Condor Kolsch, brewed by Rogue Ales and released in partnership with the Oregon Zoo Foundation, is available on draft at the zoo, at Rogue pubs and in 22 ounce bottles in retail stores throughout Oregon. A portion of the proceeds from each pint and bottle sold will be donated to the California condor recovery project at the Oregon Zoo.
California condors, the largest land birds in North America with wingspans of nearly 10 feet, were one of the original animals included in the 1973 Endangered Species Act. By the 1980s, only 22 remained in the wild, and all were brought under human care to save the species. Thanks to breeding programs like the Oregon Zoo’s, the world’s California condor population now totals more than 460 birds, most of which are flying free.
“Condors are native to the Pacific Northwest and were commonly seen here during the Lewis and Clark Expedition,” noted Dr. Don Moore, Oregon Zoo director. “Ultimately, we’d love to see them return to the skies over Oregon.”
Accumulated lead poisoning—a problem that plagues bald eagles, golden eagles and all raptors and scavengers—is the most severe obstacle to the California condor’s recovery as a species.
“We are happy to support the recovery effort of the California condor by brewing a beer for the Oregon Zoo,” says Rogue President Brett Joyce. “Supporting the local community—both the people and the animals—is in Rogue’s DNA. In order to lease our first building in 1988, we had to promise Mo Niemi (of the famous Mo’s) that we would give back and ‘feed the fishermen.’ The Condor Kolsch project helps us fulfill our first promise, and we are happy to do it.”
Condor Kolsch is available on draft at the Oregon Zoo and at Rogue pubs, as well as in 22 ounce bottles in select retailers in Oregon.
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