BRUNSWICK – The annual state-wide Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is underway in Vermont. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites students from pre-K to 12 grade to create designs featuring ducks, swans, or geese in their natural habitats.
Designs are judged in four age categories, with awards for first, second and third places and honorable mentions. Entries must be received by March 15 at 5396 Rte. 105, Brunswick, VT 05905.
The judging of the artwork will occur March 28 at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee.
The Vermont Best of Show entry will compete with contest winners from other states in a national competition in Washington D.C. The first-place national winning design is used to create the Federal Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps support conservation education by providing awards and scholarships for students, teachers and schools.
Modeled after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s annual Federal Duck Stamp competition, the Junior Duck Stamp contest is part of an educational curriculum that teaches students about waterfowl, the importance of wetlands and habitat conservation.
Proceeds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps protect wetlands through land acquisition by the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Contest rules and entry forms are currently available online for download at tinyurl.com/5dcdarax. For more information on the contest call the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge at (802) 962-5240, ext. 112.
