Mission Accomplished

By Gary Koehler, Senior Writer
The black scoter painting featured on the 2002/2003 federal duck stamp completes the Department of Interior's goal of depicting every huntable North American waterfowl species

Waterfowl hunters throughout the U.S. may look twice when they purchase the 2002/2003 federal duck stamp. The bird featured on this year's artwork, the black scoter, is a species not typically found in the continental bag.

So why the unusual choice? One of the long-term goals of the Department of the Interior's duck stamp program was to depict every huntable North American waterfowl species. After 68 years of relative obscurity, the black scoter's number finally came up.

"Yes, it has been a long time coming. The only eligible species for the artists this year was the black scoter," says Terry Bell, acting director of the federal duck stamp program. "What we did was, in odd-numbered years, we would force feed, if you would, lesser-known birds. We would tell artists that they could only select (waterfowl species) from those that had not been featured."

Since 1992, the duck stamp office has been prescribing which waterfowl species could be painted during any given year. The black scoter was the only species that had never before graced the federal duck stamp.

A medium-sized sea duck seen most often in the nation's northwest and northeast regions, the black scoter has never prompted a flurry of artistic interest. If one were to identify the Rodney Dangerfield of ducks, the black scoter may qualify as the prime candidate. This year was no exception, despite the fact that the nation's wildlife artists had no other options.

"Numbers (duck stamp contest entries) were lower than they usually are," Bell says. "Some artists called and said they could not find good references on the black scoter. Hopefully, numbers will go up next year when we have five more-common species."

Joe Hautman of Plymouth, Minnesota, had his own reference-a black scoter that he brought back from a 1990 hunting trip in Alaska. Hautman had the bird mounted, and used it as a guide while drawing his duck stamp design. The winning artwork featured a male black scoter flanked by three females.

Hautman, who along with brothers Jim and Bob have won seven of the past 13 federal duck stamp art contests, in November was named winner of this prestigious prize. But the victory did not come without a battle. The last round of judging required an unprecedented series of four tie-breaking votes. Joe Hautman won his first federal contest in 1991 with a rendering of another member of the sea duck clan-the spectacled eider. Jim Hautman won in 1989, 1994, and 1998, and Bob Hautman claimed the title in 1996 and 2000.

Entries totaled 246 for this competition, more than 100 less than the number annually received from throughout the nation. The average is usually between 350 and 400. An astounding 2,099 submissions flooded the duck stamp office in 1981.

Richard Clifton of Milford, Delaware, was awarded second place from a finalist field of 11 artists, and Dan Smith of Bozeman, Montana, took third. Smith won the federal duck stamp contest in 1987 with his portrayal of a snow goose in flight.

This year's judges included Rita Dumain, editor of The Duck Report; Eric Hanson, a wildlife photographer who specializes in waterfowl; Cindy O'Connor, the executive director of the Wetlands Institute for Stone Harbor, New Jersey; John Rogers, former deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Wayne Youngblood, writer for Linn's Stamp News, editor of Scott Stamp Monthly, and publisher of the stamp division of Krause Publications.

The 2002-2003 stamp will be available beginning July 1. Stamps can be obtained from U.S. post offices, national wildlife refuges, and many stores that sell hunting and fishing supplies.

"We have a great tradition in this country-a rich outdoor heritage," says Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. "Americans have always enjoyed our beautiful natural resources. As we look for ways to serve conservation, there is no better example than our own federal duck stamp."

And while it may be unlikely that a flock of black scoters will be visiting your decoy rig any time soon, the nation's waterfowlers need only to check their stamps in order to clearly identify the bird. The clock has begun ticking on the black scoter's 15 minutes of fame.

Black scoter a perplexing species
While the mallard is unequivocally the most-studied of North American waterfowl, the black scoter likely ranks among those of which the least scientific information is known. Breeding and wintering habits remain an enigma.

Two races of black scoters have been identified. The American race has breeding populations in northern Quebec (eastern) and Alaska (western). The European black scoter breeds across northern Eurasia, from Iceland, Scotland, and Norway east to the Khatanga River, Siberia.

Adult male black scoters are completely black, with the exception of a yellow protuberance at the base of the bill, and the gray lower surface of its flight feathers. The average weight is two and a half pounds. Females are black/brown in color and feature whitish coloration on cheeks, chin, and throat. They are slightly smaller at just over two pounds.

Major wintering areas include the coastal waters of Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington in the west, and coastal Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in the east. These birds also have been documented wintering as far south as Mexico in the west, and South Carolina and Georgia in the east.

Duck Stamp Trivia: The who, what, and when

· The first federal duck stamp went on sale August 22, 1934. Approximately 635,000 hunters and stamp collectors purchased stamps that year.

· Stamps issued before 1941 are somewhat rare because the law originally specified that unsold stamps were to be destroyed the following year. Stamps are now available for three years after printing.

· The second year of the federal duck stamp program accounted for the fewest sales during any year of its history: 448,204.

· From its inception to 1949, artists were allowed to submit duck stamp designs on a by-invitation-only basis.

· Artists may choose their own medium, and duck stamp designs may be in black and white or full color; submissions must measure 10 inches wide by 7 inches high.

· The artist with the most federal duck stamps to his credit is Maynard Reece, who was accorded top honors five times: 1948, 1951, 1959, 1969, and 1971.

· Mallards and canvasbacks have been featured on federal duck stamps on more occasions than any other species-five times each. Cans appeared in 1935, 1965, 1975 (decoy), 1982, and 1993, while mallards took center stage in 1934, 1959, 1961, 1980, and 1995.

· Since 1934, more than 119 million federal duck stamps have been sold.

· The black Lab King Buck was the featured subject on the 1959 federal duck stamp, the only time a dog has appeared in this role.

· The self-adhesive federal duck stamp was introduced July 1, 1998.

· The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program was launched in 1989-90 to encourage wildlife habitat conservation through the arts. Students in kindergarten through high school are eligible to participate.

· Proceeds from the sale of federal duck stamps over the years now total more than one-half billion dollars. These funds are used for habitat acquisition.