NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

Annual Delaware Duck, Junior Duck and Trout Stamp Competitions to Be Held April 12 in Greenwood

Wildlife art enthusiasts, stamp and print collectors, waterfowl hunters, birdwatchers and wetland conservationists will gather beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 12 at the Delaware Ducks Unlimited Greenwings’ Event at Owens Station in Greenwood for the judging of Delaware’s annual Duck Stamp and Trout Stamp contests. Sponsored by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife in partnership with Delaware Ducks Unlimited, the annual competitions draw entries by hundreds of renowned and emerging artists from across the country.  

A panel of judges including artists, professionals, waterfowl collectors and biologists’ will select Best of Show winners for the 2009 Delaware Duck Stamp, the 2008 Junior Duck Stamp and the 2009 Delaware Trout Stamp. Judges will base their decisions on originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print.  

Delaware’s 2009 waterfowl stamp will mark the 29th anniversary of the contest, which began in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving the wetland habitats that are vital for the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $2.3 million has been raised. The artwork chosen for the 2009 stamp will mark beginning of a new series.  The new series must include one or more Delaware Native species as the dominant feature and may include any other objects including man-made objects. 

The Junior Duck Stamp Program provides an opportunity for students throughout Delaware to participate in a national art competition keyed to native waterfowl and wetland values. Students learn hands-on activities in waterfowl, wetland and habitat education and conservation while completing duck stamp art entries. Artwork is judged in K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 grade categories, with various prizes. The Best of Show will move on to the National Federal Junior Duck Stamp Competition.  

Artists from across the nation will submit paintings of rainbow, brown or brook trout for the competition to choose the illustration for the 2009 Delaware Trout Stamp, which must be displayed by all trout anglers. Some 6,500 trout anglers and stamp collectors support this program annually, generating approximately $25,000 in annual revenues to stock trout in six northern New Castle County streams, Tidbury Pond in Kent County and Blockhouse Pond in Sussex County.

For more information on the Delaware Duck Stamp or Trout Stamp programs, please contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 302-739-9911. For information on the Junior Duck Stamp Program, please contact Trina Cale-Rosario at the Division’s Aquatic Resources Education Center at 302-653-2882 ext. 104 or visit www.fw.delaware.gov.