[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 33 (Friday, February 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10736-10737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3888]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


2001 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck 
Stamp) Contest

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces the dates and 
locations of the 2001 Federal Duck Stamp contest; the public is invited 
to enter and to attend.

DATES: 1. The official date to begin submission of entries to the 2001 
contest is July 1, 2001. All entries must be postmarked no later than 
midnight, Saturday, September 15, 2001.
    2. The public may view the 2001 Federal Duck Stamp Contest entries 
on Monday, November 5, 2001, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Requests for complete copies of the regulations, 
reproduction rights agreement, and display and participation agreement 
may be requested by calling 1-877-887-5508, or requests may be 
addressed to: Federal Duck Stamp Contest, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW., Suite 2058, 
Washington, DC 20240. You may also download the information from the 
Federal Duck Stamp Home Page at duckstamps.fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Terry Bell, telephone (202) 208-
4354, or fax: (202) 208-6296.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On March 16, 1934, Congress passed and President Roosevelt signed 
the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. Popularly known as the Duck Stamp 
Act, it required all waterfowl hunters 16 years or older to buy a stamp 
annually. The revenue generated was originally earmarked for the 
Department of Agriculture, but 5 years later was transferred to the 
Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to 
buy or lease waterfowl sanctuaries.
    In the years since its enactment, the Federal Duck Stamp Program 
has become one of the most popular and successful conservation programs 
ever initiated. Today, some 1.5 million stamps are sold each year, and, 
as of 1995, Federal Duck Stamps have generated $501 million for the 
preservation of 4,389,792.86 acres of waterfowl habitat in the United 
States. Numerous other birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians 
have similarly prospered because of habitat protection made possible by 
the program. An estimated one third of the nation's endangered and 
threatened species find food or shelter in refuges preserved by Duck 
Stamp funds. Moreover, the protected wetlands help dissipate storms, 
purify water supplies, store flood water, and nourish fish hatchlings 
important for sport and commercial fishermen.

The Contest

    The first Federal Duck Stamp was designed, at President Roosevelt's 
request, by Jay N. ``Ding'' Darling, a nationally known political 
cartoonist for the Des Moines Register and a noted hunter and wildlife 
conservationist. In subsequent years, noted wildlife artists were asked 
to submit designs. The first contest was opened in 1949 to any U.S. 
artist who wished to enter, and 65 artists submitted a total of 88 
design entries. The number of entries rose to 2,099 in 1981 in the only 
art competition of its kind sponsored by the U.S. Government. To select 
each year's design, a panel of noted art, waterfowl, and philatelic 
authorities are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. Winners 
receive no compensation for the work, except a pane of their stamps, 
but winners may sell prints of their designs,

[[Page 10737]]

which are sought by hunters, conservationists, and art collectors.
    The public may view the 2001 Federal Duck Stamp Contest entries on 
Monday, November 5, 2001, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Department of the 
Interior Auditorium (``C'' Street entrance), 1849 C Street, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. This year's judging will be held November 6-7, 2001, 
beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 6, and continuing at 9 
a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, if needed. In the event of a smaller 
than usual number of entries, all of the judging will take place on 
Tuesday, November 6.

    Dated: January 30, 2001.
Marshall Jones,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 01-3888 Filed 2-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M