Jim Hautman, 30, won the contest held Nov 1-2 in Washington, DC, with an acrylic painting of two mallards in flight. The design will be featured on the 1995-96 Federal Duck Stamp. Money from the sale of the stamp is used to purchase and protect vital wetlands for waterfowl and numerous other species.
Previously, Jim won the 1989 contest, the youngest person ever to do so, with a painting of two black-bellied whistling ducks in flight. He then finished second last year with a design of a pair of Barrows golden-eyes
Meanwhile, brother Robert, 34, took second place in this years contest with a painting of a Canada goose. It was the fourth year in a row Robert was a finalist in the competition.
The two brothers share a house where they have separate studios. "When we were both working on our designs, wed want to see how the others painting stacked up so wed walk down the hall and take a look," Jim Hautman said. "All the way through the process, it was close. Sometimes his would look a little better. Sometimes mine would."
Another brother, Joe, 38, won the 1991 competition with a painting of a spectacled eider.
"At times I was rooting for Bob to win rather than me because it would have been the grand slam," Jim said.
Hautman said he got the idea for the winning design while on a goose-hunting trip in Manitoba, Canada, last year. "We found a burnt field with thousands of mallards," he said. "That helped me get a visual image of the birds I wanted to paint."
Third place in this years competition also went to a Minnesota native, David Maass, who created a design of mallards in flight. Maass previously won the 1973 and 1981 contests.
Mallards are the most abundant ducks in North America and also among the hardiest and most wide-ranging. The male is recognized by its green head, white neck band, and rusty breast. The female is a mottled brown.
Other species eligible for portrayal this year were the Canada goose, greater scaup, green-winged teal, and northern pintail. Contest guidelines issued each year designate five species of North American waterfowl as eligible for portrayal so that all of them will eventually appear on a Duck Stamp.
The Duck Stamp has been issued annually by the Federal Government since 1934 when J.N. "Ding" Darling, chief of the Services predecessor agency, the U.S. Biological Survey, initiated the program and took it upon himself to design the first stamp. Artwork for Duck Stamps was commissioned until 1949 when the Service began having annual contests to select the design.
Darling initiated the program to secure a viable funding source for purchasing waterfowl habitat for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge System. All waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and older are required to purchase a Duck Stamp annually. Duck Stamps also have become valuable collectors items for philatelists, and many conservationists buy Duck Stamps as a way to contribute to wildlife and habitat protection.
Federal Duck Stamps currently cost $15. Ninety-eight cents of every Duck Stamp dollar is used for acquiring wetlands habitat. To date, $452 million raised from Duck Stamp sales has been used to acquire 4.2 million acres of wetlands for the refuge system.
"This Nation can thank its ranks of waterfowl hunters and other conservationists for making the Federal Duck Stamp Program one of the most successful wildlife and wetland conservation efforts in the world," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie.
Jim Hautman said his involvement in the Duck Stamp contest has opened his eyes to the immense value of the program to wildlife.
"Its definitely the best program we have to save wetlands," he said. "More and more people today are beginning to understand the importance of wetlands, but people involved in the Duck Stamp program have always known their value."
The 1995-96 Federal Duck Stamp will go on sale nationwide July 1, 1995. The 1994-95 Duck Stamp, designed by 1993 contest winner Neal Anderson of Lincoln, Nebraska, is currently on sale at most U.S. Post Offices; national wildlife refuges across the country; some sporting goods stores; and the Federal Duck Stamp Office, 1849 C St., NW., Washington, DC 20240.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
