Vermont Business Magazine Good news has emerged about phosphorus load reductions into Lake Champlain, and Mill River Brewing BBQ & Smokehouse (MRB) is set to celebrate the data — and continue work on its Clean Water Campaign — with the 1st Annual Clean Water Ice Fishing Derby to benefit the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain (FNLC).
On Saturday, Feb. 22, MRB — based in St. Albans — will hold a one-day, family-oriented, yellow perch fishing derby on Missisquoi Bay, near The Tyler Place in Highgate Springs. This catch-and-release-style derby is part of an ongoing Clean Water Campaign and partnership between MRB and the FNLC. The derby will be educational and geared toward getting young people enthusiastic about fishing and the sport’s reliance on clean water. All net proceeds will benefit the FNLC. The media is invited.
On-site registration will be from 7-8 a.m. at 624 Shipyard Rd., Highgate Springs. Fishing is from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Registration is $25/individual. Children 10 and under fish for free. The ice will be accessible, and all participants will receive a list of rules and regulations on the day of the event.
Registration includes eligibility for prizes and entry to an after-derby awards ceremony and meal — catered by MRB — at the VFW Post #778 in Swanton Village from 5-7 p.m. Hourly and random prizes, including cash, will be distributed throughout the day. Additionally, there will be a MRB Beer Tasting from 1-4 p.m. at Martin’s Store near the derby site.
Online registration is available now at the FNLC Web site: www.friendsofnorthernlakechamplain.org. Online registrants can pick up their entry tickets at the derby.
Dr. Kent Henderson, chair of the FNLC’s Board of Directors, is encouraged by the recent release of the state’s 2019 Clean Water Initiative Report. The report says nearly 17 metric tons of phosphorous, which feeds blue-green algae blooms, were kept out of the lake as a result of spending last year. Another state report says blue-green algae blooms were reduced last year in St. Albans and Missisqoi Bay, the site of the Clean Water Derby on 2/22.
“Progress is starting, and we need all hands on deck to improve these results,” Dr. Henderson said.
MRB launched its Clean Water Campaign with the FNLC in summer 2019 through the release of Lake Dayz, a beer that benefits the FNLC. MRB donated about $6,000 to the FNLC in 2019 through portions of sales of Lake Dayz and a September Rain Barrel Auction that raised $3,400 in one hour. MRB unveiled a winter label for Lake Dayz in late 2019.
“Dr. Henderson is right,” said David Fitzgerald, MRB co-owner. “The news that came out of the lake in 2019 is good, but we all have more work to do, and well all must do our part. So we’re doing our part this winter with the 1st Annual Clean Water Ice Fishing Derby. It. Will. Be Fun.”
MRB is about a mile from St. Albans Bay. With Lake Champlain so close, MRB uses several tactics to conserve water, and MRB surpasses other Vermont breweries in how it addresses water quality. For example, MRB reuses much of its water through its can-rinsing system, and it reuses treated water through its Clean-In-Place (CIP) tank system. MRB will soon capture rain water from gutters and reuse it on the hops row and vegetable gardens that are at the restaurant.
MRB’s other partners in the derby are: Chad Tyler from The Tyler Place; Mindy and Gilbert Gagner from Martin’s Store in Highgate Springs; representatives from the FNLC; and Jim O’Rourke, owner of the St. Albans Messenger. Other major sponsors include: the Franklin Northwest Solid Waste District, Hometown Beverage & Redemption, Catalyst Coffee Bar, Small Dog Construction, PI Charbonneau Construction, Pelkey’s Archery, and Drummac Septic.
MRB opened in July 2017 with less than a handful of in-house brews on tap. Today, MRB offers up to 10 in-house brews and, through Calmont Beverage, the brewery distributes six beers to nearly 150 stores in Vermont. (These stores carry MRB beer: www.millriverbrewing.com/brewgps.) MRB is also a full-service restaurant — with a Tap Room — that features local food.
For more information on MRB and its mission, watch this short film below.
On the Web: millriverbrewing.com.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillRiverBrewing/
Friends of Northern Lake Champlain is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that acts to clean the waters of northern Lake Champlain and its watershed by working collaboratively with citizens, businesses, farmers, and government to reduce land-use pollution. The group’s focus is to catalyze the actions and accountability needed to reduce land-use pollution and securing the essential local, state, and federal funding necessary for successful implementation.
Source: HIGHGATE SPRINGS, Vt. –– Mill River Brewing 2.17.2020