Meet Diane Tomecek, President/CEO of SOFT!SOFT is the Sea Otter Foundation and Trust. SOFT does a lot of work advocating the research and protection of sea otters and river otters. They offer grants for Zoological facilities caring for sea otters with funding designated specifically to sea otters, sea otter based educational organizations, sea otter conservation campaigns, and K-12 schools with students interested in studying the sea otter. SOFT helps otters from the sea and our fresh waters!
What are the differences between the river otter and sea otter you may ask? Diane educated us about the major ones. Check it out! Sea Otter: Swims mostly on its back Weigh 50 – 100 lbs Up to 5 ft long Flattened tail; 1/3 of body length Front Paw-like Feet; Rear Flipper-like feet Food preferences: Crabs, Sea Urchins, Clams, Abalone, Mussels, Sea StarsRiver Otter: Swims mostly on its stomach Weigh: about 30 lbs.; 3 – 5 ft long Rounded tail; ½ of body length Inhabits primarily freshwater Front & Hind feet – claws quite visible Food Preferences: Fish, Insects, Crayfish, Frogs, BirdsJust like the sea otter Waterworks Aquatics believes it is very important to learn to float on your back at a very early age. This practice prevents the use of excess energy and allows a safe place for effortless breathing. Encourage your kids to take swim lessons by educating them about the cute creatures of our rivers and oceans. Education on this subject can inspire your children to take care of the world around them and be more adventurous in the water! SOFT strongly advocates education among the community. Check out the diagram below for tips on recycling to share with your family. Looking out for these items can heavily impact the cleanliness of the environments our sea otters and rivers otters thrive in. If you’re interested in further helping our otter friends with your families here are a couple events to keep in mind! September 18 – 24: Sea Otter Awareness Week (nationwide)
Wednesday, October 26:
Live auction benefiting the foundation; Westminster/Northglenn area of Denver.
EchoPark Thornton – Community Room 500 E 104th Ave. Thornton, CO
6:00pm (doors open) 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Free admission – primarily featuring cost effective deals on dining & shopping for the holidays.
RSVP: dianet@seaotterfoundationtrust.org
Saturday, November 19:
9:00am – Denver City Park Pumpkin Pie 5K
Join team ‘Sea Otter Foundation & Trust’ & benefit sea otters at the same time. Register here: http://www.coloradorunnerevents.com/Pumpkin/ Use passcode SOFT2016 during registration for our team. All members receive the usual race ‘bling’ & a reusable canvas bag from SOFT. Colorado Runner donates $10 per team member to SOFT.
What are the differences between the river otter and sea otter you may ask? Diane educated us about the major ones. Check it out! 
Sea Otter:
River Otter:
Just like the sea otter Waterworks Aquatics believes it is very important to learn to float on your back at a very early age. This practice prevents the use of excess energy and allows a safe place for effortless breathing. Encourage your kids to take swim lessons by educating them about the cute creatures of our rivers and oceans. Education on this subject can inspire your children to take care of the world around them and be more adventurous in the water! SOFT strongly advocates education among the community. Check out the diagram below for tips on recycling to share with your family. Looking out for these items can heavily impact the cleanliness of the environments our sea otters and rivers otters thrive in. 
If you’re interested in further helping our otter friends with your families here are a couple events to keep in mind!