The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has teamed up again with Saugatuck Brewing Company to help Michigan's environment.
According to the DNR, Saugatuck Brewing Company will release a new lager called Lake Street Light that will collaborate with a lake sturgeon program aimed at raising awareness and supporting the conservation of Michigan's lake sturgeon.
A portion from every Lake Street Light sold will be donated to DNR efforts to restore the lake sturgeon habitat and boost its population.
"Lake Street Light is more than just a beer—it's a nod to Michigan's wild heart,” Sara Van Splinter, the brewery's marketing director, said in a statement. “These shores, our 'Lake Street,' are home to countless species, and we’re proud to help protect one of them: the lake sturgeon, living fossils that have swum since the time of dinosaurs. This partnership with the Michigan DNR allows us to give back to the waters we love while sharing the story of these remarkable creatures."
Previously, the brewery and the DNR had a collaboration for the Rainbow Rodeo IPA which raised $10,000 between May and October of 2024 to support habitat restoration projects focused on Michigan’s trout population.
The brewery said it plans to extend the Lake Street Light x Lake Sturgeon Program to neighboring Great Lakes states.
"To say that lake sturgeon are a major part of Michigan’s aquatic history doesn’t quite do them justice, Patrick Ertel, who is with the habitat management unit of the DNR’s Fisheries Division, said in a statement. “These fish have been around for more than 100 million years, which may be hard to even comprehend. In terms of more recent generations, there are individual sturgeon in our waters today that are older than anyone reading about this partnership. We’re excited to partner with Saugatuck Brewing Company to highlight this incredibly persistent fish and the fact that some lake sturgeon currently in Michigan waters have been there since before the invention of the automobile. Think about that!”
