Bold art, beloved wildlife, and a rallying cry for the river.
This year marks 40 years since the Clark Fork Coalition first set out to protect and restore the river we all call home. In that time, we’ve seen polluted stretches come back to life, fish return to restored habitat, and communities rally together to care for their water.
To honor this milestone, we teamed up with local artist Courtney Blazon to create the Rise Up for the River poster — a vibrant, whimsical, and deeply symbolic journey through the Clark Fork River Watershed that is both a celebration and a call to action.
Layered from riverbed to sky, the piece showcases native Montana species found throughout the Clark Fork River Watershed — from tiny stonefly and caddisfly larvae that signal clean, cold water, to iconic bull trout, moose, elk, osprey, and the industrious beavers that help engineer these healthy systems. Each creature represents the intricate web of life the river sustains.
But the artwork also reflects the challenges still facing this vital waterway. In the distance, Butte’s iconic headframe and the Smurfit-Stone mill site stand as reminders of lingering pollution. Grazing cattle, popular recreation sites, and the ever-growing human footprint underscore the need for balance between use and protection.
The poster’s upward sweep embodies the “Rise Up” theme — a tribute to four decades of progress, and a rallying cry for the public to engage more deeply with our work. Since 1985, the Clark Fork Coalition has led the charge in restoring streams, safeguarding water rights, cleaning up Superfund sites, and shaping smart water policy. Yet today’s threats — from drought and climate change to diminished funding and increased development pressure — demand even greater public involvement.
This piece is more than art; it’s an invitation. An invitation to see the Clark Fork as a living system worth defending.
Join us in ensuring that future generations inherit clean, free-flowing waters and thriving fish and wildlife by making a donation, or by purchasing a limited edition 24×36 fine art print of Courtney Blazon’s stunning original artwork commemorating both the float and the Clark Fork Coalition’s 40th Anniversary. Proceeds directly support CFC’s stream restoration, advocacy, and education programs throughout the Clark Fork watershed.
Quantities are limited, so click the link below to purchase your print today!
*Please note posters will not be shipped and must be picked up at the Clark Fork Coalition office located at 140 S. 4th St. W. in Missoula, Montana.
About the Artist
Courtney Blazon draws intricate narratives that are layered with symbolism and meaning. Blazon draws influence from the natural world; literature, mythology and fairytales; memory, nostalgia, societal expectations and coming-of-age issues, and leans into humor, irony and symbolism to create involved stories that are woven together and are not always what they appear to be upon first glance.
An artist and illustrator living and working in Missoula, MT, Courtney is a graduate from Parsons School of Design, receiving a BFA in Illustration. Her work has been shown in Montana at the Missoula Art Museum, Holter Museum of Art, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, at the Jessie Wilbur/ Lobby Galleries, Northcutt Steele Gallery, and most recently at Radius Gallery. Outside of Montana, Courtney has shown in Seattle, Portland, New York, Philadelphia, Baton Rouge, San Francisco, Jackson, Wyoming and Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in New American Paintings (Western Edition), Studio Visit Magazine, and juxtapoz.com. She is a past recipient of a Montana Arts Council Artists Innovation Award and ARPA Grant. Courtney is represented by Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT.