Gwinnett County Student Wins Honorable Mention in National Duck Stamp Contest

A 14-year old Gwinnett County student has been awarded honorable mention in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest held in Washington, D.C. Whitney Barton, a student at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, was among 51 students from across the United States who competed in the annual contest. The contest is held by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to promote conservation through arts education. Barton was selected to compete in the national contest when she won Best of Show in the Georgia Junior Duck Stamp contest held in January 2001. Bartons entry, a pair of hooded mergansers in prismacolor pencils, was selected Best of Show from over 700 student entries from across Georgia.

As the Georgia Best of Show winner, Barton will receive a $250 award sponsored by Bass Pro Shops. She will also receive a VIP tour of one of Georgia 11 National Wildlife Refuges. Other Georgia first place winners will receive cash awards from Georgia Power Company.

Bartons winning artwork, along with the other Federal Junior Duck Stamp winners, will tour the country until April 2002. The exhibit can be seen at locations including the Smithsonians National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. (June 28-July 28, 2001); the International Wildlife Art Museum in Tucson, AZ (December, 2001); and the Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, SC (February 15-17, 2002).

The public may also view the Georgia contest winners, on exhibit at various locations throughout Georgia in 2001-2002. (A list of art exhibit locations and dates is below.)

The 2001 Georgia contest was sponsored by the Georgia Power Company and Bass Pro Shops/Sportsmans Warehouse. Additional contributors include the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forest Resources, Georgia Wildlife Federation, and Five Points Deli of Athens. The Junior Duck Stamp competition was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1994 and is modeled after the Federal Duck Stamp, which has been sold since 1934 to raise money to protect wetlands and waterfowl habitat. The purpose of the Junior Duck Stamp contest is to promote conservation of wetlands and waterfowl habitat through arts education.

The image of the national winning entry becomes the Federal Junior Duck Stamp, which is sold by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stamp collectors and conservationists. This years national stamp will portray a trumpeter swan drawn by 18-year-old Aremy McCann of St. Joseph, Minnesota, and may be purchased for $5 plus shipping and handling by calling (202) 208-4353.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management 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.

Editors Note: Color image of Bartons entry is available electronically by clicking on smaller photo. For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://southeast.fws.gov.

Georgia Junior Duck Stamp Art Exhibit
2001-2002 Tour Locations