First Magnitude to host Asian elephant conservation event

Enjoy discounted craft beer while helping save the Asian elephant.

First Magnitude Brewing Company is hosting the second World Elephant Day celebration Aug. 11 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant.

The event is free, said Lane Abraben, First Magnitude’s event and project coordinator. With a ticket and wristband, he said, discounts on beers will be offered, and some will be free.

Participants donate to get tickets and wristbands, but these donations are voluntary, said Ron Chandler, the president and co-founder of the Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant.

Chandler, a UF professor, said there is a suggested minimum donation of $10, which gives guests tickets for 50 cents off their first beers. With $20, guests get their first beers free, and a $30 donation will give guests another 50 cents off all beers after the first free drink.

Right now, Chandler said, elephants are threatened by humans and palm oil plantations, which are driving them to extinction.

He said the event will help raise money to create a world heritage site in Meghalaya, a state in India that is home to one of the five largest herds of Asian elephants left in the wild.

“Small donations go a long way,” he said.

Chandler said all of the donations go directly to the cause, and no one in his organization, including himself, gets paid to put on the event.

There will be T-shirts for sale, as well as bumper stickers and woven art, he said. Local band Flat Land will play, and Chandler said he expects between 200 to 300 people to attend.