About Wild Brew

Join us for Wild Brew 2023.  Drink a Beer and Save a Bird!

Wild Brew is a one-of-a-kind event that combines fare from Tulsa’s best restaurants with first rate local beers, spirits and wines from Oklahoma and beyond all under one roof. Patrons choose from hundreds of beers and have the unique opportunity to chat with brewers one-on-one. Live music, live demonstrations from local artists, selfies with live birds and silent auction bidding wars keep the party hopping.

Your all-access Wild Brew ticket benefits the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, best known for its work with Bald Eagles. A decade ago, the species was on the endangered list; now, Bald Eagles are a regular part of our Oklahoma skyline. Following the success with eagles, scientists at Sutton are now working to save two of North America’s most endangered birds from disappearing from our planet.

The Purpose Behind the Party

THE SUTTON CENTER
If you’ve heard of Wild Brew, you know it’s a terrific time in support of the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, an internationally recognized, non-profit wildlife conservation organization just outside of Tulsa in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Funds from the event underwrite ambitious recovery efforts for the masked bobwhite quail and the Attwater’s prairie-chicken, two of the most endangered birds in North America. The Sutton Center also keeps watch over Oklahoma’s bald eagles through satellite tracking, surveys, and a live nest webcam which has been viewed by thousands. The Sutton Center’s art scholarship program supports Oklahoma art education and grows a passion for wildlife conservation in young artists.


The Sutton Center was founded in 1983 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding cooperative conservation solutions for birds and the natural world through science and education. Our biologists and governing board strive to protect natural resources and environments where birds live and breed. Through their efforts, the Center has become an internationally recognized leader in avian conservation.

Research and Conservation Programs
One of the Sutton Center’s most successful projects has been re-establishment of the Bald Eagle as a nesting bird in Oklahoma and other southeastern states. As a result, our national bird was removed from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife!  Today, when you see nesting eagles in our state, you can trace their genetics back to Sutton’s project.  Currently, the Center is working to save two of North America’s most endangered birds, the Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken and the Masked Bobwhite from disappearing from the planet.

Other projects include keeping watch over Oklahoma’s eagles, extensive education programming and, after alarming news about the massive decline in North America’s birds, Sutton launched a major study of Oklahoma’s breeding birds spanning five years of statewide bird surveys.  The results will help us understand much more about how our birds are faring in Oklahoma.  

Education Programs
Birds are widely recognized as environmental barometers. Given their wide ranges, fast metabolism and high energy requirements, they respond more rapidly than most living things to changes in the environment. Thus, variations in the populations of bird species provide important signals of environmental well-being. This reality is the foundation of the Center’s work.

The fact is… people only care about things they understand. Research explores the unknowns of biology. Conservation preserves the diversity around us. But in order to engage the public in the importance of the Research and Conservation mission of the Sutton Center… EDUCATION is vital!

The Sutton Center places a strong emphasis on education through programs including:

“All About Birds” Ambassador Program

With a 35-year history of statewide, national and international leadership in avian research and conservation we are excited to share our expertise with your students! Our outreach programs are carefully designed to be educational and fun. Each program combines science and environmental education with other content areas including fine arts and history brought to life through interactive presentations, activities, and live animal guests. Our programs encourage curiosity about our world while helping students become environmentally conscientious and scientifically empowered scholars.

Conservation Internships 
In our highly-rated internship program, high school and college students work alongside our professional staff on real projects and play a role in wildlife conservation.

Satellite Tracking of Young Bald Eagles
The Sutton Center has fitted young bald eagles with satellite transmitters so students and the public alike can continue to follow these birds as they journey from their nests in Oklahoma.

The Sutton Scholarship Award
With support from NatureWorks and corporate sponsors, The Sutton Awards recognize Oklahoma High school students, grades nine through twelve, who demonstrate the ability to communicate current conservation topics in compelling ways through art. 

Bald Eagle Nest Camera
Continuous Webcam coverage gives viewers in more than 190 countries a rare look at our national bird. Online visitors can watch bald eagles hunt, feed their young, and defend the nest. To learn more, visit www.suttoncenter.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
As a nonprofit, the Sutton Center relies on the generous support of business leaders, as well as private and corporate foundations in the communities we serve. To learn more about getting involved, contact the Center at 918.336.7778 or visit www.suttoncenter.org.