Celebrated Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest is Oct. 15-16 in Berkeley
230 U.S. Artists Entered; Winning Art to be Used for 2011-2012 Federal Duck Stamp
SACRAMENTO- For the first time in its 61 year history, the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest is coming to California. The David Brower Center in Berkeley, Calif., is the site for this year’s contest, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct 15 and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 16. The event is open to the public.
This year’s contest features artwork from 235 wildlife artists from across the nation. A panel of noted art, waterfowl, and philatelic authorities, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, will judge the competition. The winning entry will be used for the 2011-2012 Federal Duck Stamp, also known as the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.
The Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the federal government. Since the first open contest in 1949, thousands of wildlife artists from throughout the nation have competed to have their artwork grace the Federal Duck Stamp. Winners receive no compensation for their work, other than a pane of stamps carrying their design. However, winning artists sell prints of their designs, which are sought after by hunters, conservationists, and art collectors.
In addition to the contest, the public is invited to participate in birding and wetlands tours which will depart from the Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way in Berkeley. The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge will host special wildlife associated events the refuge visitor center in Fremont, Calif. Details about the contest and associated events are available at http://www.fws.gov/cno/duckstamp.html.
“This year, over 230 paintings from artist's across the country portray the beauty and diversity of waterfowl celebrated by the annual Duck Stamp contest,” said Ren Lohoefener, Regional Director of the Service’s Pacific Southwest Region in Sacramento. “The dedication of these artists and these stunning paintings serve to remind us that conservation and restoration of wetlands is essential for keeping our nation's treasure of waterfowl and other wildlife."
All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase and carry a current Federal Duck Stamp. In addition to hunters, conservationists, recreational birders, stamp collectors and others also purchase the $15 stamp in support of habitat conservation for a wide diversity of species. Ninety-eight percent of the proceeds from stamp sales go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund which supports the purchase of wetlands for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System. About 1.8 million stamps are sold each year nationwide.
Since the stamp’s inception in 1934, more than $700 million has been raised to acquire more than 5.2 million acres of habitat and hundreds of refuges across the nation to conserve America’s fish and wildlife resources Twenty refuges in California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon have directly benefitted from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. More than 8.18 million Federal Duck Stamps have been sold in California during the program’s history, second only to Minnesota (9.13 million).
Several regional conservation organizations have partnered with the Service for this year’s contest and include Ducks Unlimited Western Region, California Waterfowl Association, Audubon California, California Department of Fish and Game, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Central Valley Joint Venture. Ducks Unlimited will stream the contest live over the Web from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (PST) Friday, Oct. 15,) and from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. The link to the contest can be found at: www.ducks.org/duckstampcontest .
Information about this year’s contest is available at: http://www.fws.gov/cno/duckstamp.html. For information about the Federal Duck Stamp Program, go to: http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/ Duck stamps can also be purchased online at: http://www.duckstamp.com/mm5/
