Brewing Conservation Success: WYldlife For Tomorrow’s New Partnerships
WYldlife For Tomorrow (WFT) has been making exciting strides lately, with a key partnership playing a vital role in spreading our message, broadening the conservation funding model, and providing a model of success that is expected to expand across the state.
Last summer, WFT collaborated with The WYldlife Fund and the University of Wyomingβs Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources to set up a Student Ambassador Program. This innovative program was born from a productive meeting involving Taylor Phillips, WFT’s founder; Chris McBarnes, The WYldlife Fund’s president; and Dr. Jacob Hochard, the Knobloch Professor of Conservation Economics at the Haub School. Dr. Hochard highlighted the significant importance of WFTβs mission, stating that unlike the conventional top-down approach to wildlife conservation in the United States, WFT adopts a grassroots approach requiring substantial groundwork, logistical coordination, and relationship building.
In this ambassador program, students embarked on this groundwork under the mentorship of Taylor Phillips (Founder-WFT), Nate Brown (Operations Manager-The WYldlife Fund), and Chris McBarnes (President-The WYldlife Fund). Four Wyoming-based students devoted their summer to working within their local communities, establishing key relationships between WFT and businesses in tourism, outdoor recreation, and hospitality.
A significant achievement of this program is WFTβs new alliance with Altitude Chophouse & Brewery, Laramie, WY. Student ambassador Emma Vandenburg, while working at Altitude, cultivated a working relationship with brewer Sean Minichiello and owner Karen Robillard. Consequently, Altitude Chophouse & Brewery launched a new beer in honor of WYldlife for Tomorrowβthe WYld Amber Ale. University student Inna Willis, under the guidance of Haub School faculty Kayla Clark, designed the beer label featuring an illustration of a bull bison. For each pint of beer sold, a dollar is donated to the WFT initiative. Currently exclusive to the Altitude Chophouse and Brewery in Laramie, this concept has inspired more co-branded beers and products that will soon be widely available throughout the state.
Tyler Shreve, a graduate student in Dr. Hochardβs research lab, is studying this hopeful expansion. His thesis focuses on various conservation funding methods and engagement with wide-reaching brands. Shreve’s goal is to collaborate with such brands to co-brand products, disseminate the concept across the state, and identify efficient fundraising strategies. Shreve’s focus is on coffee roasters, aiming to enlist roasters across the state to create coffee blends associated with the state. The first to join is Cowboy Coffee from Jackson Hole, who is developing a signature WYld blend, with a portion of the proceeds going to WYldlife for Tomorrow. Tyler will also work closely with the Wyoming Craft Brewerβs Guild on future projects involving craft breweries across Wyoming. These partnerships are invaluable in raising awareness and funds for conservation projects while spotlighting businesses that appreciate wildlife’s impact on their profits.
The collaboration between The Haub School and The WYldlife Fund through the WYldlife For Tomorrow initiative is set to flourish and broaden. We anticipate this model spreading to other craft breweries, coffee roasters, distillers, and more across the state. The potential for growth with this co-branding model is remarkable, and we look forward to the progress made through Shreve’s research and the Haub School partnership.
No matter one’s background in the outdoor industry, we believe that a common love for a good beer or hot cup of coffee unites many. We’re delighted with these new partnerships. As Vandenburg eloquently put it in the Cowboy State Daily.