Jim Hautmans painting of brown pelicans represents the creation of the first national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge at Pelican Island, Florida, in 1903. Bob Hautmans mallard ducks on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge represents the Systems 50th anniversary in 1953. Joe Hautmans painting of an avocet on a federal waterfowl production area waterfowl production area
Waterfowl production areas are small natural wetlands and grasslands within the National Wildlife Refuge System that provide breeding, resting and nesting habitat for millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and other wildlife. Virtually all waterfowl production areas are in the Prairie Pothole Region states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Learn more about waterfowl production area represents the Systems 100th birthday in 2003. "A Century of Conservation" is being produced and distributed by the Hautmans in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Proceeds from the sale of the print will be matched by the Foundation and others to fund federal wildlife habitat restoration projects. A limited edition of 1,000 signed and numbered prints will be sold. The prints cost $250 (unframed) and $400 (framed). Prints are expected to go on sale in mid-to-late July. Locally, the prints will be available from the Friends of the Minnesota Valley in Bloomington, Minn. More information is available from the group at 952-858-0737 or by email at: info@friendsofmnvalley.org
The accomplished artists are the only brothers to win the prestigious federal duck stamp contest, having designed seven federal duck stamps and more than 30 state conservation stamps. Their artwork has been displayed in the Oval Office in the White House and at the Smithsonian Institution. The commemorative "Century of Conservation" print is the first time the three Minnesota brothers have collaborated to produce a single work.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is commemorating its 100th birthday during 2003. The refuge system began March 14, 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt created the nations first sanctuary for threatened pelicans and other birds at Pelican Island. Since then, the refuge system has grown to a nationwide network of more than 540 refuges and 3,000 waterfowl production areas encompassing 95 million acres. To learn more about the refuge system and its centennial go to http://refuges.fws.gov or http://midwest.fws.gov/centennial
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 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.
