The Interior Departments U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsors the contest each year to select the new Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or Duck Stamp. The design chosen at this years contest will become the 2000-2001 Federal Duck Stamp, which goes on sale July 1, 2000.
The winner of the Duck Stamp Contest will be announced Thursday, November 4 at around 12:30 p.m (Eastern). All contest events take place in the Interior Department auditorium at 18th and C Streets, NW, in Washington, D.C., and are free and open to the public.
Federal Duck Stamps are a required purchase for waterfowl hunters ages 16 and older. However, stamp collectors, art lovers and conservationists also purchase them to add to their albums or enjoy as miniature works of art, or simply as a way to contribute to waterfowl conservation. Ninety-eight percent of the proceeds from each $15 Duck Stamp goes toward purchasing wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
"The Federal Duck Stamp Contest is one of the highlights of my year--not only because I enjoy seeing the hundreds of colorful entries but also because the Duck Stamp is one of the simplest ways I know of to conserve migratory birds and their habitat," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. "Since migratory bird conservation is one of the Services top priorities for the coming year, the Duck Stamp Contest takes on special significance. The habitat purchased with Duck Stamp dollars benefits not only waterfowl but a wide variety of migratory birds."
After a public preview day on Tuesday, November 2, judging for this years contest begins November 3, kicking off at 10:30 a.m. with the march of the Peabody Orlando Hotel ducks, four hens and a drake who will circle the Interior Department auditorium lead by a uniformed "duckmaster."
The famous mallards appear at the Duck Stamp Contest thanks to a partnership between the Service and the Peabody Orlando Hotel, which includes the Federal Duck Stamp in its efforts to raise awareness about waterfowl and deliver conservation messages to guests and the community. Visitors to the renowned Florida hotel can purchase a Duck Stamp after they watch the mallards frolic in the lobby fountain.
Judges for this years Federal Duck Stamp Contest represent a variety of wildlife, art and philatelic disciplines. They are: Matthew Connolly, the recently retired executive vice president of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., a national organization devoted to protecting, restoring, enhancing and managing wetlands for waterfowl; Betty Lou Fegely, an outdoor writer, photographer and lecturer; Sara Gilbert, editor of U.S. Art magazine, a nationally distributed publication for collectors of limited-edition artwork; John Morris, the founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, a hunting, fishing and camping equipment retailer; and Burton Sellers, senior vice president of the International Federation of Philately and a past president of the American Philatelic Society.
The winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest receives no cash award from the Federal government; however, the contest is highly competitive because winning boosts the reputation of even a previously unknown artist to the top of his or her profession. Winning artists stand to make hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of limited edition prints of their Duck Stamp design.
Eligible species for this years contest were the mottled duck and the black scoter.
The Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest is free and open to the public. The 243 entries will be displayed for viewing and judging at the Interior Department auditorium, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C., at the following times:
Tuesday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Viewing
Wednesday, Nov. 3: 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Viewing/Judging
Thursday, Nov. 4: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Viewing/Judging*
*The winner will be announced at approximately 12:30 p.m. In addition, Duck Stamp licensed products, including posters, T-shirts, mugs, calendars, caps, and other items featuring Duck Stamp designs will be available for sale in the Interior Department lobby. Part of the proceeds from the sale of these products also is used for wetlands acquisition.
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 comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance 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.
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