Delaware Artist Wins Federal Duck Stamp Contest
The acrylic painting of a lesser scaup (bluebill) drake by Richard Clifton of Milford, Delaware, was selected from 138 entries as the winner of the 2020 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest in Falls Church, Virginia.
Clifton’s artwork, which features a dramatically lit scaup near cattails with a lanyard of duck calls in the foreground, will be made into the 2021-2022 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, a.k.a. Duck Stamp. The $25 stamp is required of all hunters aged 16 and older to hunt waterfowl in the United States. Funds raised conserve wetland habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System to benefit wildlife and people. Duck Stamp revenues also help provide public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
“Hunters and anglers are the backbone of American conservation, and the Duck Stamp is one of the many ways they contribute to conserving America’s waterfowl and wetlands throughout the country,” said David Bernhardt, U.S. secretary of the Interior.
The Federal Duck Stamp was established in 1934. Stamp sales have raised more than $1 billion to conserve over 6 million acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife, and provide countless opportunities for hunting and other recreation on our public lands.
“For more than 80 years, millions of waterfowl hunters have made a difference in protecting our nation’s birds and their habitats,” said Aurelia Skipwith, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The Trump Administration has prioritized protecting our wildlife and their habitats and provided access to some of the most spectacular places available for hunting, fishing, birdwatching, hiking and other outdoor activities.”
Beginning in 2020, the stamp contest now has a permanent theme of “celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage,” so each entry must include an element of waterfowl hunting. Each year, five species are eligible. For the 2020 contest, the species were lesser scaup, gadwall, cinnamon teal, brant and red-breasted merganser.
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Irwin Greenstein is Publisher of Shotgun Life. Please send your comments to letters@shotgunlife.com.
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