By Tom Rogers, Vt. Fish & Wildlife
Wildlife biologist Doug Blodgett raises a glass of Timber Rattler IPA with Brocklebank Craft Brewery owner Anne Linehan at the Tunbridge brewery. A portion of the proceeds of the beer will be donated towards Blodgett’s work on the conservation of Vermont’s timber rattlesnake population.
TUNBRIDGE—The next time you raise a glass of Vermont craft beer, you could be helping to save an endangered species. Brocklebank Craft Brewing in Tunbridge is donating 10 percent of sales proceeds from its Timber Rattler IPA to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. The funds will support efforts to conserve Vermont’s imperiled timber rattlesnake population.
Dubbed a “nanobrewery” because of its small size, Brocklebank Craft Brewing is owned by Ben and Anne Linehan and located on a former dairy farm in eastern Vermont. According to Anne, the idea to donate part of the proceeds from the beer started when she heard a Vermont Public Radio story on Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department biologist Doug Blodgett and his efforts to save Vermont’s rattlesnakes.
“Our customers are always fascinated to hear that there actually are timber rattlers in Vermont,” said Anne Linehan. “Although we’re a tiny new brewery, we do hope to help raise awareness of this issue.”
Currently found in two small populations in western Rutland County, timber rattlesnakes are a state endangered species in Vermont.
“We greatly appreciate Ben and Anne’s help in our work to save this native species,” said Doug Blodgett, who has worked on rattlesnake conservation for several years. “Gestures like this go a long way towards gaining wider acceptance of rattlesnakes as an important and necessary part of Vermont’s ecosystem.”
