The 83rd Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp went on sale June 24, 2016. Better known as the Federal Duck Stamp, the product was introduced at a special event hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Bass Pro Shops’ flagship retail store in Springfield, Mo.
The stamp features a pair of trumpeter swans in flight painted by wildlife artist Joseph Hautman of Plymouth, Minn. Last fall, a panel of five judges chose Hautman’s art from among 157 entries at the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W.Va. This was Hautman’s fifth Federal Duck Stamp Contest win, tying him as the leading Duck Stamp artist of all time.
A pair of Ross’s geese painted by Stacy Shen, 16, of Fremont, Calif., is depicted on the new Junior Duck Stamp, which also went on sale.
Shen’s art was chosen from among best-of-show winners from states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories at the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest held in April at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Fla.
The stamps are available for purchase online, at many sporting goods and retail stores, and some post offices (Federal stamps only), and at some national wildlife refuges. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp/buy-duck-stamp.php.
The Federal Duck Stamp is America’s most unique and successful conservation stamp. Since the stamp’s inception in 1934, sales have raised more than $800 million to protect more than 5.7 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Ninety-eight percent of the proceeds from Duck Stamp sales go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which supports wetland acquisition and conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
A current Federal Duck Stamp is also good for free admission to any refuge that charges an entry fee. Of the more than 560 refuges, many offer unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities, including hunting, fishing, bird watching and photography.
The 2016 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest to select the 2017 stamp will be held Sept. 9 and 10 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Learn more about the Federal and Junior Duck Stamps at www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php.
source: mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service