FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2010
Ashley Spratt (FWS)
ashley_spratt@fws.gov
612-713-5314
Sarah Imholte (SMM)
simholte@smm.org
(651) 221-9423
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Science Museum of Minnesota to Host the 2010 National Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest on April 23, 2010
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold the 2010 National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest at 10:00 a.m. on April 23, 2010 at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The event is free and open to the public. A link to a live online broadcast of the contest will also be available at http://fws.gov/Midwest/news.
“The Junior Duck Stamp Program and Contest provide children an opportunity to express their creativity through art while teaching them the underlying importance of wetlands and wildlife conservation,” says Tom Melius, Midwest Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “The more teachers and parents engage students in the outdoors through art, the more interested they will be in conserving it for the future.”
“The Science Museum of Minnesota is honored to host this year’s Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest, especially considering this is only the second time in its history that the contest has taken place outside of Washington, D.C.,” says Mike Day, senior vice president at the Science Museum of Minnesota. “This partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service represents our shared passion for the importance of conservation education and inspiring the next generation to be engaged and aware of issues that face the health of our environment.”
The Junior Duck Stamp Program, a kids’ version of the prestigious Federal Duck Stamp Program and Contest, engages K-12 students in an integrated arts and science curriculum, culminating in a design challenge to create a North American waterfowl art piece for submission to their State Junior Duck Stamp Contest. First place winners from all 50 U.S. states and territories advance to a National contest where one piece is selected to be printed as the 2010 Junior Duck Stamp. The Junior Duck Stamp is both a collector’s item among philatelists and is a tool that generates funding for conservation education across the country. The stamp is sold for $5 by the U.S. Post Office, National Wildlife Refuges, some sporting goods stores, and online through Amplex.
Last year, three young artists from the Midwest placed first, second and third in the National competition, which was held at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.
Lily Spang, age 16, of Toledo, Ohio won first place with her acrylic painting of a wood duck. Abraham Hunter, age 15 from Vienna, Illinois placed second with his acrylic painting of two golden-eyes, and Rebekah Nastav, age 18, from Amoret, Missouri placed third with her acrylic painting of a common golden-eye. The state of Minnesota has also been home to artists that created more than 20 Federal Duck Stamp winning designs in the Federal contest’s history.
For more information about the Junior Duck Stamp Program and the Science Museum of Minnesota visit http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck and http://www.smm.org/duckstamp/
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.
