River Love

We had a great weekend visiting the Riverfest in Hamilton and Community at the Confluence in Milltown. Both events are built around showing appreciation for our Rivers and the environments surrounding them. The Bitterroot, Clark Fork, and Blackfoot Rivers have always been a large part of Western Montanans culture. Who hasn't floated the river in a tube on a lazy Sunday, or felt the adrenaline of white-water rafting, or gone fishing to enjoy the wonder of the river and her fish. I grew up with the Rivers. I learned respect for their awesome power, the beauty of their curving bends, the appreciation of the environment and the animals in between and around their banks.

The Animal Ambassadors did their part to help inspire appreciation and understanding for the native animals that live near the Rivers. Seraphina, the red fox, did a perfect demonstration of what makes foxes so unique and important for our native Montana environment. She is growing fast, and at almost 5 months old she is looking the part of a beautiful vixen. She no longer has her fluffy brown baby fur and big adoring eyes. She has sleek red fur, a large bushy tail, a long pointed nose, and keen hazel eyes that pick up every movement around her. She digs and pounces showing off her natural abilities to hunt while displaying her extra large ears that nothing can evade. Seraphina has become an Ambassador for her wild cousins and