Gorge Local - In Business: Herman the Sturgeon gets special beer for his birthday

“This is the perfect opportunity to have those conversations about how we can help sturgeon in Oregon grow to be as old as Herman,” said Mo Montgomery, Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) communications and public relations manager. OWF collaborated on the project.

Jenn and Dan Peterson of Ferment Brewing are the husband-and-wife team behind the project, which is “essentially an ode to Herman, his home — these gentle giants, who we need, and they need us to be responsible with our decision making, and to keep our waterways clean,” said Jenn Peterson. Herman lives at the Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center at Bonneville Fish Hatchery.

There’s been more than one Herman the Sturgeon over the years. This one’s supposed to be more than 80, but the only way to be certain of a sturgeon’s age involves a post-mortem dissection, so nobody’s really sure.

“Herman comes from a long line of prehistoric bottom-feeders. Sturgeon evolved during the Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Sturgeon have changed very little since then. What has changed is the availability of quality sturgeon habitat and their food supply,” Montgomery wrote. Their rivers are no longer free-flowing, impeded by dams which kill them directly, warm their water too much, restrict their movement, reduce the complexity of their habitat and block historic spawning areas, according to ODFW information.

There’s 23 sturgeon species, seven in North America, two in the Gorge — white sturgeon, and green sturgeon. Both are Oregon Conservation Strategy species, meaning they have small or declining populations, and are at risk.

Herman’s safe in the Interpretive Center, but his home needs an upgrade too.

A 1997 fundraising campaign garnered more than $350,000 to build the center, one of Oregon’s top visitor attractions.

Now, 25 years of wear and tear on the building have taken their toll, and its signage needs an update to better speak to today’s audience. OWF and ODFW are working together on a plan for the needed repairs and updates.

Ferment choose to honor Herman by putting up educational materials and using Salmon Safe ingredients. Dan’s using Salmon Safe ingredients more and more in all Ferment’s beers, he said.

Salmon Safe producers take extra steps to ensure they aren’t having negative impacts on Oregon waterways, through pollution or degradation. Kind of like organic ingredients, but for fish.

Those steps include making sure water moves off their property in a way that doesn’t negatively impact watersheds, eliminating harmful metals and pesticides, removing certain types of buildings, creating buffers around streams, and minimizing their water use. Thus building a healthier, more biodiverse ecosystem on their land.

“I always look at it as a little goes a long way,” said Jenn Peterson. “And the more we normalize and accept taking the additional steps to make sure that not only are we growing what we want to grow, but having a profitable business and having a positive impact on the future of our environment — the more companies will do it.”

Going Salmon Safe didn’t have to sacrifice quality, and they didn’t have to raise costs, she added.

The ingredients are from Mainstem Malt and Crosby Farms. Mainstem Malt works with farmers from the Columbia River watershed. Crosby Farms is near The Willamette Valley.

“When we moved here 14 years ago, we learned about Herman and thought it was such a cool thing. And we brought our kids, our toddlers, there,” Peterson. They returned several times to see Herman, and reconnected with him recently through a souvenir shop in downtown Hood River operated by OWF, stewards of Herman.

Since the majority of beer is water, and “we live right here on this gorgeous river ... and we want to be stewards of it, it seems like a really natural connection,” said Peterson. Ferment asked to make a beer in honor of Herman’s birthday, and OWF contributed educational material for customers to appreciate along with their pints.

Posters will go up in Ferment’s tasting room, and OWF’s shops. Lots of social media posts and a QR code for donations to the Interpretive Center, which is fundraising for an upgrade to the Interpretive Center. Visitors to the Interpretive Center can get swag — a hat, a sticker, a coloring page, more conservation education — and they can sign Herman’s birthday card.

“Herman’s story includes trips between [ODFW]’s Roaring River Fish Hatchery near Scio and the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Beginning in the 1930’s and up until the 1980s, one Herman (or another) was a mainstay at the Oregon State Fair’s Animal Village exhibit,” Montgomery wrote. “Life on the road is hard so ODFW stopped transporting Herman and started planning for a permanent exhibit space. Herman’s life thereafter wasn’t without danger or excitement; the rumors about fishnappings, physical assaults, a music video? It’s all true.”

Beer and drinks are a “very connected supportive industry, and to be in a position where you’re making decisions on your purchases, and choosing ingredients to go into your beer that really make a difference in our world and in our local environment — to me, that’s a thrilling thing,” said Jenn Peterson. High Five, Herman! has gotten them thinking about using beer for good, and as a platform to tell stories “about things we’re passionate about, and things that are affecting all of us.” This is Ferment’s first partnership with OWF, but they hope to continue with more each year.

“Beer brings people together by design, and to be able to tell a great story and to support the future of our environment while having a pint is pretty awesome,” she added.

The beer will be available at Ferment Brewing, from their distributors and at some locations in Portland.

Ferment Brewing is located at 403 Portway Avenue, Hood River. Hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Their website is fermentbrewing.com.

The interpretive center is located at 70543 NE Herman Loop, Cascade Locks, open 7:30 a.m. to dusk all week. Details online at myodfw.com/articles/herman-sturgeon and myodfw.com/bonneville-hatchery-visitors-guide.

The fundraising campaign is online at secure.givelively.org/donate/oregon-wildlife-foundation/sturgeon-interpretive-center.