## ![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.625in" height="1.4902777777777778in"} Press Release 

***For Immediate Release***

> Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever, (877)773-2070
>
> Ryan Booth, Federal Duck Stamp Office, (703) 358-2004

**Federal Duck Stamp Paintings Migrate to Pheasant Fest**

*Top 25 original paintings on display in Omaha's Qwest Center next
weekend*

**St. Paul, Minn. -- January 5, 2005** -- The top 25 original wildlife
paintings entered into the 2005 Federal Duck Stamp competition will be
on display at Pheasant Fest 2005 in Omaha. Mark Anderson of Sioux Falls,
South Dakota, was the winner of the 2005 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest
and his painting will be the featured attraction of the exhibit.
Pheasants Forever's National Pheasant Fest is set for January 14 -- 16th
at the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The Fest promises to be
the country's largest event for upland hunters, sport dog owners, and
wildlife habitat conservationists.

Anderson\'s acrylic painting of two male hooded mergansers bested 223
other entries and will grace the 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp, which
goes on sale next July 1, 2005. Federal Duck Stamp sales generate
approximately \$25 million each year to fund waterfowl habitat
acquisition for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Federal Duck
Stamp Contest is sponsored each year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.

\"Generations of waterfowl hunters, stamp collectors, art lovers, and
conservationists have bought these beautiful stamps for more than 7
decades,\" said U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton.
\"Their purchases directly contribute thousands of acres of
irreplaceable waterfowl habitat to the National Wildlife Refuge
System.\"

All waterfowl hunters, age 16 and older, are required to purchase and
carry Duck Stamps, but anyone can enjoy their benefits. Ninety-eight
cents of every dollar generated from the sale of the \$15 stamps goes
directly to the acquisition of important wildlife habitat. Since the
program's inception in 1934, sales of Federal Duck Stamps have raised
more than \$700 million that has been used to acquire more than 5.2
million acres. A valid Federal Duck Stamp can also be used for free
admission to any National Wildlife Refuge open to the public.

This is Anderson\'s first win in the prestigious contest. However, his
entries have been highly ranked several times. In fact, Anderson has
missed only one contest entry since 1985. Anderson has also won 15 state
conservation stamp art contests in the states of Florida, Iowa,
Oklahoma, Ohio, and South Dakota. His work was also featured on the
National Turkey Stamp in 2003.

Second place went to Jim Hautman of Chaska, Minnesota, with an acrylic
of a pair of wood ducks. Hautman has won the contest three times. His
brothers Joseph and Bob have each won the contest twice. Third place
went to Don Moore of Monona, Wisconsin, for an acrylic of a male hooded
merganser. Photos of the top three paintings are available on the
Internet at
[[http://duckstamps.fws.gov]{.underline}](http://duckstamps.fws.gov/) .

Eligible species for this year\'s contest were the American widgeon,
wood duck, gadwall, ring-necked duck, and hooded merganser. The Federal
Duck Stamp Contest is the nation\'s longest running federally-sponsored
art competition. No cash prize is awarded, but winning can boost the
professional reputation of even a previously unknown wildlife artist.
Winning artists stand to make hundreds of thousands of dollars from the
sale of limited edition prints of their Duck Stamp designs.

The U.S. Postal Service will be at Pheasant Fest to sell 2004-2005
Federal Duck Stamps. In fact, the 2004-2005 Federal Artist, Scot Storm,
will be at the Fest for signings of his work.

Pheasant Fest 2005 will be PF's second such event. The first Pheasant
Fest was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2003. That first Fest
attracted thousands of members, conservation leaders, and pheasant
hunters from around the country. This year's Omaha event will be double
the size of the first Fest with twice the exhibitor booths, bigger
seminars, and more special events. There\'s even a chance to go hunting
if you are so inclined; Nebraska's pheasant hunting season is open until
January 31st. Nebraska's 59 PF chapters and Iowa's 102 PF chapters will
also conduct their annual state meetings at this year's Pheasant Fest.
For more information about PF and Pheasant Fest 2005, go to
[www.pheasantsforever.org](http://www.pheasantsforever.org/).

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