The stamp sale and hometown ceremony honoring Hautman will be held on the second floor of the Convention Center in the Seasons exhibit hall. The official ceremony and stamp cancellation begins at 10 a.m. An autographing session follows the ceremony. Admission is free.
I want this event to be for the whole conservation community that cares about wildlife and its habitat, said Hautman. Bringing recognition to waterfowl and its habitat is a vital part of this effort.
Ninety-eight cents of every Duck Stamp dollar is used for acquiring wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To date, more than $500 million raised from Duck Stamp sales has been used to acquire more than 4.5 million acres of wetlands for the refuge system. The 1997-1998 Federal Duck Stamp officially goes on sale nationwide July 1.
The Minnesota Waterfowl Association, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Minnesota Federation of Stamp Clubs are joining in this celebration that honors Hautman and highlights waterfowl, wetland conservation and the more than 60-year tradition of the Federal Duck Stamp. Events throughout the day feature a stamp show (first floor of the Convention Center), natural resource organization and wildlife-related exhibits and displays, a fund-raising event for wetland restoration, and a display of artwork by the Hautman brothers ( Bob, Jim and Joe have all won Federal Duck Stamp contests.) The stamp sale and exhibits open at 9:30 a.m. and will run until 2 p.m.
This years event is being held in association with the Minnesota Stamp Expo, A Salute to Wildlife Stamps which is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center July 18-20.
In winning this years Federal Duck Stamp Contest, Bob Hautman continues a remarkable family reign. Hautman, of Plymouth, Minnesota, is the third brother to win the prestigious competition. Hautmans work, an acrylic painting of a Canada goose, was chosen best of 477 entries in the annual contest.
The Canada goose is the most identifiable goose species to many Americans because of its honking call and distinctive appearance, a white check patch that usually covers the throat on an otherwise black neck and head.
In recent years, Hautman played runner-up to other winners, including brothers Joe and Jim. A finalist in five previous contests, he placed second in 1994 behind younger brother Jim with a similar design featuring a single Canada goose. In fact, the only major difference in this years winning design is wetland habitat added to the background.
The Hautman reign began in 1989 when Jim won the contest for the first time. Joe Hautman won the 1991 contest and Jim won again in 1994. Throughout the years, all three Hautman brothers have consistently been finalists in the competition.
Asked to explain the family secret, Bob Hautman said, Each year the contest is different but what it always takes to win is hard work and spending many hours in the field observing ducks and geese. I am always watching for them. Often Ill just stop my car and get out and watch. There are certain things about birds you simply cant see by looking at photographs.
Waterfowl hunters over 16 years of age must purchase the Federal Duck Stamp (formerly known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp) every year. Duck Stamps currently cost $15 and are available at most U.S. Post Offices, national wildlife refuges, and some sporting goods stores.
All you have to do is look skyward this fall to see the good that Federal Duck Stamps do, said John Garamendi, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, who, in October, announced Bob Hautman as this years contest winner. Thanks in part to wetlands purchased with Duck Stamp funds, the fall duck migration will be the largest ever recorded.
Minnesota is a big state for ducks and Federal Duck Stamp artists. The Federal Duck Stamp has made a major impact in the state and Minnesotans, in turn, have been leading contributors to the program. Minnesotans purchase an average of about 10 percent of all Duck Stamps sold in a year.
Twelve Duck Stamp artists have been born and raised in Minnesota or resided in the state at one time, three of whom have won the contest more than once.
In 1993, former past Federal Duck Stamp artists from Minnesota joined with local conservation groups to support wetland restoration efforts. The artists donated their artwork, and proceeds from a silent auction were matched by the Services Partners for Wildlife Program, a cooperative effort with private landowners to restore wetlands and associated uplands.
A portion of Minnesota is part of North Americas Prairie Pothole Region which supports over half of the continents entire breeding duck population. The Service manages more than 511,000 acres of habitat in the State of Minnesota, about 85 percent of which has been acquired with Duck Stamp dollars.
Four of Minnesotas 11 national wildlife refuges, encompassing 74,000 of the total 208,000 acres of refuge lands in the State, have been acquired using Duck Stamp revenues. In addition, Minnesota has 805 waterfowl production areas comprising 168,000 acres that have been acquired entirely with Duck Stamp dollars. Waterfowl production areas are small tracts with natural wetlands and associated uplands located mainly in the Prairie Pothole Region.
Duck Stamps have become increasingly popular among stamp collectors, wildlife artists, and conservationists. In fact, the Smithsonian Institutions National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., recently opened a permanent exhibit honoring the Duck Stamp. Duck Stamp purchases by non-hunters have risen from 3 percent to 10 percent of all Duck Stamp sales in recent years.
The Federal Duck Stamp has been issued annually since 1934 when J.N. Ding Darling, chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services predecessor agency, the U.S. Biological Survey, designed the first stamp. Artwork for Duck Stamps was commissioned until 1949 when the Service began sponsoring annual contests to select the design. More information about the Federal Duck Stamp Program can be found at: http://www.fws.gov on the Internet, then click on Servers Organized by Office.
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
