The new Federal Duck Stamp is now on sale. The 83rd Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp debuted Friday, June 24, at a special event hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Bass Pro Shops’ flagship retail store in Springfield, Missouri.
The stamp features a pair of Trumpeter Swans in flight. The painting is the work of wildlife artist Joseph Hautman, of Plymouth, Minnesota, winner of last fall’s Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, held in West Virginia. It 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, California, 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 Florida.
Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, praised the Duck Stamp as a one-of-a-kind conservation tool that has made a difference for birds.
“This year, we celebrate the centennial of the first Migratory Bird Treaty, between the United States and Canada, which launched the bird-conservation movement as we know it today,” he said. “This landmark treaty laid the groundwork for many important conservation initiatives, including the Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp.”
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. The 2016 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest to select the 2017 stamp will be held September 9-10 at the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia.
Swans fly onto Federal Duck Stamp after half-century absence.
Painting of Ross’s Geese wins 2016 Junior Duck Stamp competition.
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