Nature Conservancy & Flying Fish Brewing launch OktoberForest Awareness Campaign

The Nature Conservancy and Flying Fish Brewing are celebrating OktoberForest this year to raise awareness of the integral connection between forests, clean water and good beer.

They’re having an OktoberForest event at the Flying Fish tasting room in Somerdale on October 20 from 5 to 8 pm. Owner Gene Muller is tapping a special double IPA brewed in red oak (New Jersey’s state tree!) and they’ll have free snacks. The Nature Conservancy will be on hand to talk about the importance of New Jersey’s forests in filtering water that is used for beer-making and to hand out free swag.

 

Press Release:

On October 1, The Nature Conservancy and Flying Fish Brewing launch a month-long OktoberForest awareness campaign in New Jersey to make beer fans aware of the critical link between the health of our local forests and beer’s main ingredient—water.

More than 90 percent of beer is water, and forests help protect all of our natural water resources.

Forests improve our water supply by storing and filtering rain and snow. Trees help capture rainfall, and shade streams, lakes, and snow from evaporation; the forest floor helps filter runoff; and tree roots helps hold soil together so it can store water like a sponge. In New Jersey, forests that grow along riverbanks are especially important because they also help alleviate flooding to our communities.

In New Jersey, we have more than 60 craft breweries, and every single one of them is dependent on a natural water source for their production. If good beer is going to stay on tap in The Garden State, we need to make sure our rivers, lakes and streams are in the best condition—and healthy forests make that possible.

The U.S. Forest Service estimates that about half of its forested lands are in need of restoration in order to maintain natural benefits for people, water and wildlife. In New Jersey forests are increasingly threatened by fragmentation, deer browsing and invasive insects.

“We are supporting OktoberForest because our business depends on clean water,” said Gene Muller, founder of Flying Fish.  “As a brewery we work to make our business as sustainable as it can be, and teaming with The Nature Conservancy for OktoberForest is a great way to celebrate forests and beer at the same time.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Flying Fish on the OktoberForest campaign,” said The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey’s Director of Land, Eric Olsen.  “The Nature Conservancy has been working to conserve and restore New Jersey’s forests for more than 50 years—we are excited to bring the relationship between forests, water and beer into focus through this program.”

The Flying Fish facility is located just few miles from its main water source, the Delaware River, and the quality of the Delaware’s water is reliant on forests way upstream in northwestern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York State. The Nature Conservancy is active in reforesting stretches of the Paulins Kill, a New Jersey tributary to the Delaware that directly affects the quality of its flow, with a goal of planting 50,000 trees. “It’s all interconnected,” says Olsen. “And nature is the master brewer.”

Flying Fish and The Nature Conservancy will celebrate OktoberForest at the Flying Fish tasting room in Somerdale, NJ, on Thursday, October 20, 2016 from 5 to 8 pm. An exclusive commemorative double IPA brewed in red oak (New Jersey’s state tree) will be tapped for the event, and free snacks will be available.

Visit www.OktoberForest.org to:

1. Take the quiz—how much do you know about forests, water, and beer?
2. Check out the map— how healthy are the forests around your favorite brewery?
3. Take the pledge—talk to your friends and favorite breweries about OktoberForest!
4. Post—your favorite forest and brewery photos to Twitter and Instagram at #OktoberForest

New Jersey Forests At-A-Glance:

• New Jersey has more than 2 million acres of forested land, covering about 46% of the state. That amounts to around 989 million trees!
• New Jersey is home to 83 tree species, and forest land is dominated by oak/hickory in the north and pitch pine in the south. The average age of New Jersey’s forests is 60-79 years
• For every 10% increase in forest cover in a water source area, water treatment costs decreased by about 20%.
• At least 6.4 million New Jersey residents rely on drinking water protected and provided by forested watersheds in the Highlands and Pinelands areas.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide, including more than 55,000 acres in New Jersey. www.nature.org.

Flying Fish Brewing Co., located in Somerdale, is the largest craft brewery in New Jersey, producing a range of beers year-round, along with a variety of seasonal specialties. Its facility boasts many sustainability features, to brew beer in the most environmentally friendly way possible. www.flyingfish.com