Photo by Ashley Bohan.
Illustration of “Brookie” By Steven Weinberg.
www.stevenweinbergstudio.com
Catskill craft beer conservation partnership announced
West Kill Brewing is proud to support the efforts of Trout Unlimited to conserve and protect eastern brook trout here in its home state of New York, and you can too.
September 1st kicks off our “Brookies for Brookies” partnership campaign. This means that for every 12 oz. can or 6-pack bought of the ‘Brookie’ Corn Lager, West Kill Brewing will donate 2% directly to brook trout conservation projects by TU’s Northeast coldwater conservation staff in New York.
TU’s New York staff focuses on researching, reconnecting, restoring and celebrating native trout.
Brook trout projects take the TU team all over the state, but over the last decade the team has worked extensively on tributaries of the Delaware River watershed, including famous Catskill tributaries that are well-loved & often fished by the staff and supporters of West Kill Brewing.
Projects are underway in the Adirondacks, a stronghold for brook trout, which could lead to completely protected and reconnected watersheds. The West Kill is another focus for brook trout recovery, as a unique tributary of the Schoharie watershed. In partnership with New York State Dept. of Conservation, the team has removed four barriers and reconnected close to six miles of critical tributaries that will allow stunted populations of native brookies to access coldwater refugia and spawning habitat, just a short walk from the brewery.
TU’s work is funded by state and national grants that are competitive and leave little room for expanding program needs including research hours, advanced survey equipment, media coverage to help educate and much more.
With the help of “Brookies for Brookies”, TU and West Kill Brewery can continue to reconnect and restore habitat to sustain a thriving native brook trout population well into the future in New York State.
You can learn more about the efforts of Trout Unlimited’s Northeast coldwater habitat team as well as regional volunteer opportunities across the Northeast by following along on Instagram @TU_ Northeast.