The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the winners of its 2017 Habitat Conservation, Upland Game Bird, and Waterfowl Stamp art contests. Winners were chosen Nov. 5 at the ODFW art show and wine release event at Duck Pond Cellars in Dundee. Habitat Conservation Stamp Winner – Craig Fairbert of Wisconsin with his painting of Ferruginous Hawk; Upland Game Bird Stamp Winner – Mickey Schilling of Colorado with his painting of Ring-necked Pheasant; Waterfowl Stamp Winner – Richard Clifton of Delaware with his painting of Gadwall; People’s Choice Award Winner – Pamela Kirwin of Oregon with her painting of Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit. Fairbert, Schilling and Clifton will each receive a prize award of $2,000. Their paintings will be used to produce 2017 collector stamps and other promotional items to benefit Oregon’s species and habitats. ODFW art show visitors voted for their favorite artwork out of 67 entries on display. Oregon artists took the top three spots in this year’s People’s Choice Award. Portlander Pamela Kirwin was voted number one for her painting of Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit. Deian Moore of Blodgett took second with her painting of Westslope Cutthroat Trout, and Cove artist Debra Otterstein was third with her painting of Great Gray Owl. The art show was held at Duck Pond Cellars in conjunction with the release of their Conservation Cuvee – Lot 4. This is the fourth year the winery has produced unique blends of Pinot Noir that feature winning artwork from the Habitat Conservation Stamp art contest. Duck Pond then donates $5 from the sale of each bottle to Oregon’s Conservation Program. “The art show is one of our favorite events,” said Andrea Hanson, Oregon Conservation Strategy Coordinator. “It lets us showcase Oregon’s amazing fish and wildlife, and gives us a chance to meet many new people who are also interested in Oregon’s great outdoors. Duck Pond Cellars is a wonderful conservation partner who helps us put on a great show.” Conservation Cuvee – Lot 4 features the 2016 Habitat Conservation Stamp winning artwork of Pallid Bat by Timothy Turenne. This vintage, along with last years’ can be purchased.at Duck Pond Cellars, through its Conservation Cuvee website, and at select restaurants and wine shops. Habitat Conservation Stamp – The Habitat Conservation Stamp and art prints feature species identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as species in need of help, such as Acorn Woodpeckers, Pygmy Rabbits, Northern Red-legged Frogs, Coho Salmon and many others. Revenue helps restore habitats essential to declining or at-risk species. Collector stamps and art prints are available on the ODFW website. Waterfowl Stamp – Sales of the Waterfowl Stamp fund waterfowl management projects including population surveys, banding, and wetland management and enhancement. Artwork featured on previous stamps included geese, ducks and waterfowl hunting dogs. Artists this year could feature Black Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, or Northern Shoveler in their natural habitat. Upland Game Bird Stamp – Oregon’s upland game bird stamp art contest first began in 1990 and each year features one of 10 upland game bird species found in Oregon. This year, artists were asked to feature Ring-necked Pheasant. Sales of the Upland Game Bird Stamp fund game bird research, surveys, habitat improvement and conservation projects. Hunters who purchased a waterfowl and/or upland validation can request a complementary stamp for the validation they purchased using the form found in the back of the Game Bird Hunting Regulations or online.
