2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Summary

The 2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest begins on Friday, October 17th at the Bloomington Art Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. This year's entries will feature the following waterfowl species: Canda Goose, Brant, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Long-tailed duck. For more information about the contest in Bloomington please view the 2008 Duck Stamp Contest webpages.

2008 Federal Contest Judges

Richard M. Slaughter is the publisher of Attraction Magazine, which has been serving the Eastern Shore of Maryland for 28 years as the “Good News” magazine. The magazine’s subject matter pertains to nature and conservation, the arts, boating, fishing and, of course, the renowned Waterfowl Festival held in Easton, Maryland. Prior to publishing Attraction, Richard was vice-president of marketing for Washington Sports, owners of the Washington Wizards (NBA) and the Washington Capitals (NHL). Having grown-up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, he is an avid waterfowler, collector of working decoys and collector of Federal and State Duck Stamps.

Steven A. Williams formerly director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is executive director of the Wildlife Management Institute. He is also a member of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and The Wildlife Society. Previously, Williams was the secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, deputy executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and assistant director for wildlife for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. He earned a doctorate in forest resources and a bachelor’s degree in environmental resources management from Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Science degree from the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks.

Don Soderlund, Jr. has studied and painted waterfowl for nearly 60 years. After graduating from high school in Robbinsdale, Minn., he studied at the Minneapolis School of Art and the University of Minnesota before becoming a full-time waterfowl artist. In 1974, Soderlund completed the artwork for the well-known publication “Waterfowl Identification in the Central Flyway.” For the past 35 years, Soderlund has lived on the shores of Pelican Lake, a Minnesota DNR-designated wildlife lake, in Wright County, Minn., where he hunts, observes waterfowl and sells antique sporting goods.

Donald T. Luce studied biology and anthropology at the University of Michigan, earning a degree in Zoology in 1975. An author and scientific illustrator, Luce worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and several environmental learning centers to develop an exhibition titled “Exotic Aquatics.” He also directed a project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create the exhibition “Saving Endangered Species – Saving Ourselves.” Today, Luce is working to revitalize the permanent exhibits at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis, and he recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to plan a new exhibition called “Nature in the City: Exploring the Diversity of Life Close to Home.”

Wes Miller is currently vice president of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society, and has been nominated to become that organization’s next president. Miller is a long-time collector of Duck Stamps and stamp prints, specializing in artist-signed prints. He also collects stamps from Canada, England, the Channel Islands, Australia and New Zealand. Philatelic organizations from as far away as New Zealand have sought out Miller for his extensive knowledge of Federal Duck Stamps.

Jeff Hedtke (alternate) has worked in natural resource management for 25 years and is currently a wetland restoration technician with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. He has been an active member of the local chapters of Ducks Unlimited Inc., the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, Pheasants Forever and Delta Waterfowl. Hedtke collects Duck Stamps and waterfowl hunting decoys and has written articles about decoy carvers.

Contest Partners

2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Partners

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov/duckstamps

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

For more information on the Federal Duck Stamp Program, visit www.fws.gov/duckstamps .

Bloomington Art Center, Bloomington, Minnesota http://www.bloomingtonartcenter.com/

Please visit partners page for list of additional partners.