09-27-2007, 05:10 PM
The 2007 Federal Duck Stamp competition gets underway on October 12 at BIG ARTS Cultural Center in Sanibel, Florida. The two-day event will culminate in the selection of artwork to grace the 75th Federal Duck Stamp.
A panel of five judges will choose the winning piece of art from among 247 entries sent in from 40 states. The winning entry provides the design for the 2008-2009 Duck Stamp, which is sold for $15 to waterfowl hunters, stamp collectors, art aficionados and outdoor enthusiasts to generate funds used to help protect the nation's wetlands.
The Duck Stamp program is one of the world's most successful conservation programs. Since the inception of the stamp in 1934, sales have yielded nearly $700 million, which goes toward the purchase or lease of wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. So far, the Refuge System has acquired more than 5.2 million acres of land as a result of the Duck Stamp program - about the size of the State of New Jersey.
The annual Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only federally-sponsored art competition, is eagerly anticipated by wildlife artists from across the country. This year's competition will be held in Sanibel, Florida, home of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, named for the creator of the Federal Duck Stamp Program. Darling's etching of two mallards entitled "Mallards Dropping In" became the design of the first Federal Duck Stamp.
For more information on the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, please visit our web page at http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/ click on the special anniversary icon.
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.
Media Contact:
Joshua Winchell (202) 219-7499 or Tom MacKenzie (404) 679-7291
A panel of five judges will choose the winning piece of art from among 247 entries sent in from 40 states. The winning entry provides the design for the 2008-2009 Duck Stamp, which is sold for $15 to waterfowl hunters, stamp collectors, art aficionados and outdoor enthusiasts to generate funds used to help protect the nation's wetlands.
The Duck Stamp program is one of the world's most successful conservation programs. Since the inception of the stamp in 1934, sales have yielded nearly $700 million, which goes toward the purchase or lease of wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. So far, the Refuge System has acquired more than 5.2 million acres of land as a result of the Duck Stamp program - about the size of the State of New Jersey.
The annual Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the only federally-sponsored art competition, is eagerly anticipated by wildlife artists from across the country. This year's competition will be held in Sanibel, Florida, home of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, named for the creator of the Federal Duck Stamp Program. Darling's etching of two mallards entitled "Mallards Dropping In" became the design of the first Federal Duck Stamp.
For more information on the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, please visit our web page at http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/ click on the special anniversary icon.
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.
Media Contact:
Joshua Winchell (202) 219-7499 or Tom MacKenzie (404) 679-7291