DU state chairman purchases first 2007-2008 duck stamps in Indiana
Clarksville, Indiana, July 11, 2007 - Bass Pro Shops, the Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited recently unveiled this year’s Federal Duck Stamp in a unique nationwide event. The unveiling was celebrated at Bass Pro Shops’ Springfield, Mo., flagship store, and at all 42 Bass Pro Shops stores across the country, including the Clarksville and Portage, Indiana locations. Indiana State Chairman, Frank Wolka, Jr, of Vallonia, spoke at the Clarksville location, where
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| Indiana DU State Chair Frank Wolka, Jr. (left) purchased the first Federal and Junior Duck Stamps issued in Indiana from Doug Caswell, the Jeffersonville, Ind. Postmaster (right) and Greg Isgrigg, a Clarksville City Councilman (center). |
he bought the first Federal and Junior Duck Stamps issued this year in Indiana.
“It is a pleasure to recognize the partnerships represented here today and the more than 63,000 acres those partnerships have helped conserve in Indiana,” said Wolka. “These habitats range from grasslands and bottomland hardwoods to moist soil and large forested blocks. They provide homes and resting places for hundreds of wildlife species, from nesting ducks and geese to migrating shorebirds and wading birds, including the federally endangered interior least tern. Many of these habitats are part of the globally important bird areas that support hundreds of bird species, including waterfowl. Ducks Unlimited is proud to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service and our many varied partners across Indiana to make areas like these available for ourselves and future generations to enjoy.”
Ducks Unlimited’s Chief Biologist at the time, Dr. Bruce Batt attended the premier event at the Springfield store. Batt participated as one of five judges at this year’s Federal Duck Stamp competition in Memphis.
“This year’s stamp shows very interesting and intricate detail of two ring-necked ducks in full breeding plumage,” said Batt. “The ring-necked duck has become more abundant in most breeding areas. Hunters relate to them as incredibly agile fliers. The piercing sound of their wings when the birds are banking sharply is distinctive and often heard long before the birds are seen.”
The winning painting, which appears on the 2007-2008 Federal Duck Stamp, is an original by Delaware artist Richard Clifton. During the First Day of Sale event, Postal Service representatives sold required postal stamps and issued first day cancellations.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service produces the Federal Duck Stamp, and requires hunters 16 years old and older to purchase the stamp annually in order to hunt any waterfowl species. Proceeds from the sale of Duck Stamps help purchase wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Each year, Duck Stamp sales raise about $25 million for conservation. The stamp also serves as an entrance pass to those National Wildlife Refuges with admission fees. The Service also produces each year’s national Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from Junior Duck Stamp sales are used to support the Junior Duck Stamp program.
For more information on the Federal and Junior Duck Stamp program and how Duck Stamp funds have benefited a refuge or school children in your state, visit the Duck Stamp home page at http://duckstamps.fws.gov.
Contact: Laura Houseal
(901) 758-3764
lhouseal@ducks.org
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.