Joseph Hautman has won the 2011 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest for the fourth time. Hautman’s entry was a a green-headed wood duck paddling on the water. The image will be made into the 2012-13 Federal Duck Stamp, which goes on sale in June 2012. Plymouth, MN resident Hautman also won the contest in 1991, 2001 and 2007.
Adam Grimm, whose oil painting of a single brown gadwall duck took second place, is a resident of Burbank, S.D.
Third place went to Richard Clifton of Milford, Del., for his painting of a pair of mallards.
What are Federal Duck Stamps?
Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as “Duck Stamps,” are pictorial stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. They are not valid for postage. Originally created in 1934 as the federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl, Federal Duck Stamps have a much larger purpose today.
Federal Duck Stamps are a vital tool for wetland conservation. Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated by the sales of Federal Duck Stamps goes directly to purchase or lease wetland habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Understandably, the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated and is a highly effective way to conserve America’s natural resources.