Adopt A Local Legend
Local Legend Adoption Program
Each purchase protects a special local species.
We offer the perfect way to show your love to the local legends of the Great Lakes! When you adopt one of our watershed's local legends, you are showing your concern and respect for the Thumb Coast's environment and wildlife in the most meaningful way. Your symbolic adoption supports our unique stewardship and conservation programs, and helps us protect these impressive sentinels of the watershed - our local legends.
Adoption Levels
Individual / Family: $60
Purchase an adoption for yourself or have us mail it to someone as a gift.
Business / Group: $250
Includes a professional double-frame with custom certificate; also available to sponsor a school, youth club, or scout group.
Teacher / Classroom: $60
Adopt a Local Legend for your classroom to teach the importance of conservation. The Lake Sturgeon adoption includes a poster to hang in your classroom. Available for Lake Sturgeon adoptions ONLY at this time – add an in-person classroom presentation about Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Conservation for an additional donation.
Adoption Package
When you adopt a legend, you will receive:
- Adorable soft plush
- Personalized certificate of adoption
- Spotlight species card
- Species conservation materials
- Subscription to Friends of the St.
- Clair River's Thumb Coast Watershed Guide
Exclusive to the Lake Sturgeon and Monarch Butterfly:
- Unique ID code to your tagged species
- Periodic updates as part of ongoing monitoring efforts
Packages are shipped USPS priority mail and take up to 10 business days to arrive. We accept international adoptions from Canada and beyond. For questions, contact our Program Assistant at [email protected].
Peregrine Falcon
Individual / Family — $60
Business / Group — $250
Teacher / Classroom — $60
Lake Sturgeon
Individual / Family — $60
Business / Group — $250
Teacher / Classroom — $60
Teacher / Classroom + Presentation — $90
Monarch Butterfly
Individual / Family — $60
Business / Group — $250
Teacher / Classroom — $60
Peregrine Falcon Adoption
Protect a Worldwide Wanderer
Known as the world’s fastest animal, reaching speeds of over 200mph, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)is a master of the air. This raptor enjoys a nearly worldwide distribution, which earned it its name peregrine, meaning “wanderer.”
Many raptors nearly went extinct in the 1960s, including the peregrine falcon, before the banning of DDT. DDT, or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, is a man-made, toxic, and persistent organic pollutant that was once widely used as an insecticide. The effects of DDT pollution were magnified as it traveled up the food chain. High doses of DDT exposure caused these falcons to lay eggs with thin and fragile shells, causing them to break easily. As a result, peregrines became extirpated from Michigan in the 1960s, and the entire eastern United States, meaning they no longer occurred here, and were placed on the federal Endangered Species Act.
In the 1980s, peregrines were re-introduced to Michigan, and after decades of successful protection and conservation strategies, they were reclassified in Michigan 2024 from an endangered species to a threatened species.
When they enter a hunting dive called a stoop, they can reach 200 to 240 miles per hour! This makes them one of the fastest animals on the planet.
Lake Sturgeon Adoption
Protect a Living Dinosaur
For 150 million years, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have been swimming the waters of the Great Lakes. They outlived the dinosaurs, yet in one sturgeon’s lifetime, humans have brought the Great Lakes' largest fish to the brink of extinction.
Recently, lake sturgeon in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair have experienced levels of recovery with help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. To get a better understanding of their life cycle and movements, biologists are recording the abundance, distribution, age, growth and health of the species. While strict regulations have been put in place to limit fishing, pollution cleanup and habitat restoration are driving factors in the restoration of lake sturgeon.
Your adopted lake sturgeon is marked with a unique microchip allowing permanent identification of your fish. If your adopted sturgeon is recovered as part of ongoing state and federal research efforts, we will notify you.
Lake sturgeon are micro-chipped in Lake Huron and the St. Clair River by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If your adopted sturgeon is recovered in on-going research efforts, you will be notified.
Monarch Butterfly Adoption
Protect a Migration Master
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are well-known for their brilliant orange and black markings. A remarkable feat of monarchs is their biannual migration from Michigan every fall to overwinter in the forested mountains of Mexico — a 1,000-mile journey. Monarchs are very picky eaters; caterpillars can only eat one small group of plants: native milkweeds (Asclepias). It's these two unique behaviors combined that have made monarch butterflies vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss, exposure to insecticides, and changes in our climate.
Scientists and community science programs, like Monarch Watch, have been tracking monarch populations for over twenty years to monitor changes in their populations. These scientists and volunteers work together to tag monarch wings with a small sticker containing a unique code to track their migration.
Your adopted monarch butterfly is marked with a unique code allowing permanent identification of your butterfly. If your adopted butterfly is recovered as part of ongoing international research efforts, we will notify you.
This local monarch butterfly was tagged with a small sticker with a unique ID code in advance of its biannual migration from Port Huron to Mexico.
The Local Legend adoption program is supported by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
