The stamp, one of the nations most successful conservation efforts since its inception during the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, goes on sale nationally July 1.
Designed by Minnesota artist Bruce Miller and featuring a pair of canvasback ducks, the new stamp will be unveiled during special First Day of Sale ceremonies to be held in Washington, DC, on June 30, and in Millers hometown of Mound, Minnesota, on July 1. Miller will attend both ceremonies which are free and open to the public.
The City of Mound "First Day of Sale" official ceremony and stamp cancellation begins at 10 a.m. at the Haddorf Field/Harold J. Pond Arena. "Canvasback Station", the temporary postal unit to be set up for the sale of the stamps in Mound, will offer a special pictorial cancellation on a souvenir card, with first class postage, following the ceremony. Souvenir cards will be sold by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The U.S. Postal Service, the City of Mound, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are joining in this celebration that honors Miller and highlights waterfowl, wetland conservation, and a 60-year tradition of the Federal Duck Stamp. Events throughout the day will feature natural resource organization and wildlife-related exhibits, displays and demonstrations as well as a special exhibit of the first Federal Duck Stamp ever issued.
Since 1934, when Jay N. "Ding" Darlings drawing entitled "Mallards Dropping In" became the first design for the stamp, the sale of Federal Duck Stamps has raised $414 million to acquire more than 4 million acres of vital waterfowl habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Washington, DC, celebration begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Department of the Interior auditorium, 1849 C Street, NW. Dignitaries from the Department of the Interior, the Department of Treasurys Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Smithsonians National Postal Museum will attend.
For the first time, artist-signed prints of the 1993-94 Duck Stamp design, as well as souvenir cards, pins, posters, and other licensed Duck Stamp products, will be available for purchase at the Washington, DC, ceremony. Revenues from the sale of these products go towards supporting wetlands education efforts.
The ceremony will also include presentation of the Fish and Wildlife Services National Wetlands Conservation Award, an honor granted annually in recognition of exceptional efforts to preserve vital wetland areas.
In addition, "Best of Show" winning designs from Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contests held in eight participating states (Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, South Dakota, and Vermont) will be on display in the Interior Departments C Street lobby. The eight Best of Show winning designs will be judged and three national winners selected prior to the ceremony. Through an art competition modeled after the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest teaches youngsters about the importance of wetlands conservation.
Following the First Day of Sale events, the 1993-94 Federal Duck Stamp will be available for purchase nationwide at most U.S. post offices, some sporting goods dealers, and National Wildlife
Refuges, or through the Federal Duck Stamp Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street, NW., Room 2058, Washington, DC, 20240. The telephone number is 202-208-4354.
Miller, a professional artist and avid outdoorsman, is also an Eagle Scout, who grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota. He attended Saint Cloud State University and started painting wildlife in 1980. Miller took third place in the 1991 Federal Duck Stamp Contest. He became a full-time artist in 1985 and has published 25 limited edition prints through his company, Mixed Bag Publishing. He has been named Artist of the Year by the Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation and Artist of the Year at the Wildlife and Western Art Show in Minneapolis. He also won the 1993 Minnesota Pheasant Habitat Stamp Contest.
Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase a Duck Stamp each year. Stamps may be used as annual passes in lieu of entry fees when visiting National Wildlife Refuges. Many stamp collectors, artists, and other conservationists also collect Duck Stamps.
The canvasback, one of North Americas fastest flying ducks, is distinguished by its long reddish-chestnut neck and head, and white body with a black chest and hindquarters. Its wedge-shaped head slopes upward from the tip of its long black bill to the back of the crown.
As host for the First Day of Sale event, the City of Mound is located 30 minutes from downtown Minneapolis on the westernmost edge of Lake Minnetonka. To get to Haddorf Field/Harold J. Pond Arena from the Twin Cities, take Interstate 494 west to Highway 12 West. Take Highway 12 West to County Road 15 (Shoreline Drive) West. Take County Road 15 West to Commerce Blvd. (downtown Mound main intersection.) Turn right onto Commerce Blvd.
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
