Good job everyone! The field guide and hats are now EXHAUSTEDand a portion of every purchase supports reforestation work at Balsam Lake!
If you are interested in supporting reforestation at Balsam Lake, Consider donating directly!
The Ontario Parks and Arts Collective is preparing a tasty ecological reforestation project for Balsam Lake Provincial Park this summer!
Field Guide is a special IPA series inspired by the beauty and abundance of Ontario’s natural spaces.
Not sure how a new API is helping our forests? Keep reading!
Protecting our wild places
Endless pressures affect the health of our parks and the wildlife that depend on them. Biodiversity loss. Invasive species. Climate change. In the face of such great challenges, it can be easy to lose hope.
But we can rekindle hope through restorative action, creativity, and community.
At Ontario Parks, we are committed to building resilience in the wild spaces we love. Our friends at Collective Arts share this philosophy.
Together, we are tackling a forest restoration project at Balsam Lake.
A triple effort for forest health
As with many southern provincial parks, the Balsam Lake Forest is in decline due to the loss of ash trees to the emerald ash borer and the establishment of invasive plant species.
Humans have been a major vector for the spread of the emerald ash borer, so it is only right that we work to restore damaged forests.
To help this forest heal and build resilience, we will:
- remove invasive species, such as Scots pine and sea buckthorn, that are damaging the overall health of the ecosystem
- inoculate selected black ash trees (to protect against emerald ash borer)
- Plant native tree species, such as white birch, white cedar, and white spruce, to fill gaps left by dead and dying ash trees
And how does a new API contribute to reforestation?
Big problems can be solved through creativity and community. It is no coincidence that Collective Arts was founded on those principles.
Your new API, Field guidewas developed to help fund this critical forest restoration work. Fifty cents from every can sold will be donated to the Balsam Lake project.
Inspired by the natural beauty of Ontario’s provincial parks, Field Guide uses fresh, locally sourced spruce tips and sumac, combined with locally grown hops and barley from Barn Owl Malt. A combination of fresh pine and bright citrus dominate the flavor and aroma of this very drinkable beer.
Even the can is a love letter to our wild spaces. Toronto artist Gosia Komorski featured local species such as the northern leopard frog and the stylized round-headed clover in the design.
Ready to raise a cold one for our forests this summer?
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A run of 10,000 cans of Field Guide will be sold exclusively at Collective Arts breweries (Hamilton and downtown Toronto) and online at Collective Arts. [sold out].
Every purchase helps. At 50¢ per can sold, this special edition will generate $5,000 for the forests of Balsam Lake!
We can’t think of an easier way to support the health and resilience of our wild spaces than to grab a refreshing drink and enjoy it on your patio, balcony, or couch.
Remember: humans are not separate from nature; We are part of the savagery of our world. While we cause or influence most of today’s pressures, we can also act as ecological stewards, helping our parks and other natural spaces to thrive for years to come.
And we are delighted to be part of a local creative partnership that is taking an important step towards doing just that.
Looking to spruce up your wardrobe?
Pick up the All Spruced Up dad hat!
To keep the celebration of this partnership alive, we teamed up to create a limited edition faded green distressed dad cap.
Proceeds from each hat sold go towards the project.
A sincere thank you to our partner. Collective Arts is a craft brewing and distilling company with facilities in Hamilton and Toronto. Collective Arts is committed to ensuring its products are as diverse and creative as the artists profiled through the packaging and promotion of these drinks.
Friendly (but important) reminder: If you take Field Guide to a provincial park, please note that alcohol is not allowed on trails, beaches, or anywhere else other than your registered campsite.