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2011 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Entries
The five eligible species are: blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, gadwall, mallard and wood duck.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- The contest will be held October 28-29 in Shepardstown, W.Va. If you are in the area, we highly recommend a visit to the contest.

The 2011 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest will be held at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W. Va., on October 28 and 29. This is the first time in the contest’s 61-year history that the event has been held in West Virginia.

The winning design chosen during the contest will be made into the 2012 (RW79) Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or “Duck Stamp,” the cornerstone of one of the world’s most successful conservation programs.

“Having this prestigious contest at the National Conservation Training Center provides a unique opportunity to build on the long history of wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation in our country,” said Jay Slack, Director of the Service’s training center. “Never has it been more important to conserve and restore wetland habitat, especially as we search for methods to minimize the effects of climate change, for waterfowl and the multitude of other species that depend on wetlands.”

The $15 Federal Duck Stamp is a vital tool for wetland conservation, with 98 cents of every dollar generated going to purchase or lease wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since the stamp’s inception, sales have helped to acquire nearly six million acres of wildlife habitat at hundreds of refuges in nearly every state.

The Federal Duck Stamp art contest is the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the federal government. Since the first open contest was held in 1949, thousands of wildlife artists from throughout the nation have submitted art to the annual contest. While the winner receives no money from the federal government, the winning artist may benefit from the increased visibility and sale of prints and artwork.

The first Federal Duck Stamp was designed in 1934 by Iowa native and editorial cartoonist J.N. “Ding” Darling, who was the director of the Bureau of Biological Survey, forerunner to the Fish and Wildlife Service. It sold for $1. The stamp currently sells for $15, and more than 1.5 million people buy Duck Stamps annually.

Every waterfowl hunter age 16 or older is required to buy a Federal Duck Stamp. In addition, the stamps are highly sought after by collectors, conservationists and wildlife art aficionados. A current Federal Duck Stamp also provides free admission into any refuge open to the public. There are 550 National Wildlife Refuges spread across all 50 states and U.S. territories, offering unparalleled wildlife oriented recreational opportunities, including hunting, fishing, bird watching and photography.

For information about the Federal Duck Stamp Program and about the 2011 Federal Duck Stamp Contest, go to: http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps. You can also check out the Federal Duck Stamp on Facebook: by going to http://www.facebook.com and searching “Federal Duck Stamp.”

Click Here to see all the beautiful Duck Sta,p Entries.

H/T shduck.com

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland 1 Comment »

Participants Needed For Georgia Youth Birding Competition T-Shirt Art Contest

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Hey kids, do you like birds and love to draw or paint?

Georgia’s sixth annual Youth Birding Competition is offering a T-shirt Art Contest for resident children and teens. Many famous ornithologists were bird artists when they were young, so perhaps you could be the next John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson or David Allen Sibley!

A winner will be picked from each of the following age categories: primary (pre-K-second grade), elementary (third-fifth), middle school (sixth-eighth) and high school. One winner will be awarded the grand prize – their artwork will appear on the 2011 YBC T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 gift card to Michaels. The three other winners will each receive a $50 Michaels gift card, redeemable for art supplies.

Entering is easy. Participants must draw or paint their favorite Georgia bird on paper or sheet canvas (at least 8-by-10 inches but no larger than 11-by-17 inches). Mail it in a large envelope – flat, not folded – in time to be received by 4 p.m. March 1 to: GA DNR-WRD, YBC T-shirt Art Contest (Attn: Linda May), 2065 US Hwy. 278 SE, Social Circle, GA 30025.

On a separate piece of paper, gently attached to the back of the artwork, include the participant’s name, school, age, grade level, mailing address, phone number, parent or teacher’s e-mail address and the species name of the bird depicted. The illustrated bird must be a wild species and native to Georgia. Please make sure the bird is the main focus of the artwork, and draw or paint its features as accurately as possible. Also keep in mind that rich colors will show up better on a T-shirt than faint pencil drawings.

Only one entry per person is allowed, and it must be the child’s artwork. Participation in the Youth Birding Competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest.

Competitors in the birding event can pick up their submissions at the April 17 banquet at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, where select artwork will be displayed and winners announced.

Artwork from children and teens who do not take part in the Youth Birding Competition can either be picked up at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield during normal business hours or returned by mail – but only if a large, self-addressed envelope with four first-class stamps is included with the submission.

The 2011 Youth Birding Competition starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must turn in their checklists at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Sunday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, click on the “Get Involved” tab and then the “YBC T-shirt Art Contest” link (www.georgiawildlife.com/node/950). You can also contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (770) 918-6792 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us.

The same web site includes Youth Birding Competition details, including how to register a team for this exciting event. You can also contact the competition coordinator Tim Keyes at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us.

BRIEFLY: WILD FACTS: BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Even if you’re not a biologist, you can help monitor bird population health. How? By participating in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count! Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, this citizen science event is set for Feb. 18-21. Just count birds from a favorite place (perhaps your yard or a nature center) for at least 15 minutes on one or more of the days. Record the highest number of each species you see together at any one time. Then enter your checklist at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. By combining your count information with other nationwide data, the Great Backyard Bird Count provides an early warning system for birds in need of conservation help.

WILD Facts is a regular feature written by Linda May, environmental outreach coordinator with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.

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