Artwork & Wine to Benefit Oregon Wildlife, Nov. 4

Enjoy wildlife art, wine and music at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Art Show and Duck Pond Cellars’ Conservation Cuvee – Lot 4 wine release party. This free, family-friendly event is Saturday, Nov. 5 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Duck Pond Cellars, 23145 Hwy 99W, Dundee. Artwork submitted by artists competing for ODFW’s 2017 Habitat Conservation, Upland Game Bird, and Waterfowl Stamp contests will be displayed. ODFW will announce the winning entry from each contest which is then used to produce collector stamps and other promotional items with proceeds benefitting Oregon’s fish and wildlife. At the art show, Greg Fries, president and co-owner of Duck Pond Cellars will release Conservation Cuvee – Lot 4 with the label featuring the 2016 winning artwork of Pallid Bat by Timothy Turenne of Richfield, Minnesota. Conservation Cuvee – Lot 4 is the fourth in a series of Duck Pond Cellars’ specialty wines that benefit Oregon’s wildlife. The winery has been partnering with ODFW for several years by crafting unique blends of Pinot Noir and donating $5 for each bottle sold to ODFW’s Conservation Program. To date, more than $20,000 has been donated to this program. Conservation Cuvee can be purchased at Duck Pond Cellars, through the winery’s website, and at select restaurants and wine shops. “The partnership, and the work that ODFW does is very special to us,” Fries said. “This small lot Pinot Noir was crafted using fruit from our family’s vineyards in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon. A great expression of Oregon Pinot noir, this cuvee is brimming with rich red and black fruit with earthy undertones and a soft, spicy finish,” Fries said. For optimal fruitiness, Fries recommends consuming the cuvee within in the next few years, and those who appreciate a softer, more delicate Pinot Noir should cellar age it. This wine pairs well with Northwest salmon and would make a good partner for any dinner. Visitors can vote on their favorite artwork for the People’s Choice Award, enjoy live music by Harvey Brindell and the Tablerockers, and sample complimentary tastings of Lots 3 and 4 of the Conservation Cuvee. Please dress warmly as the event will be held in the winery’s production cellar. Check Duck Pond Cellars’ website for more information on their conservation efforts. Habitat Conservation Stamp – This stamp and art prints feature wildlife identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as species of greatest conservation need such as the Kit Fox, Western Painted Turtle, Chinook salmon and many others. Revenue helps restore habitats essential to declining or at-risk species of Oregon.Purchase a Habitat Conservation Stamp or art print. Waterfowl Stamp – This year, artists were asked to feature Common Goldeneye, Black Scoter, Gadwall or Northern Shoveler in their natural habitat. Sales of this stamp fund waterfowl management projects such as population surveys, banding, and wetland management and enhancement. A major marsh rejuvenation and enhancement recently completed at Summer Lake Wildlife Area was funded in part by sales of the waterfowl stamp. Purchase a Waterfowl Stamp. Upland Game Bird Stamp – Artists were asked this year to showcase Ring-necked Pheasant. The sale of upland game bird stamps funds game bird research, surveys, habitat improvement and conservation projects. Stamp sales are also used to purchase birds for 11 youth upland hunts around the state, to promote game bird hunting opportunities, and to support the Upland Cooperative Access Program in the Columbia Basin.Purchase an Upland Game Bird stamp.