Page 7 - September/October Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine

TEACHERS, STUDENTS INVITED TO SUPPORT

FEDERAL JUNIOR DUCK STAMP ART PROGRAM

By Phillip Stephenson where they are sorted by age groups. Entries are
judged by three to five independent judges, nor-
Did you know there’s a nationwide waterfowl
stamp art contest just for kindergarteners through mally including a wildlife biologist, a bird/nature
12th-graders? enthusiast, and art professionals. Judges choose the
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Junior Duck Oklahoma Best of Show entry, which then competes
Stamp Program began in 1989 as an extension of in the national contest.
the Federal Duck Stamp Program, In 2022, for an unprecedented fourth time,
which has raised more than $800 London Peterson of Eufaula won the Oklahoma
million dollars and protected more Best of Show honor with her acrylic painting of a
than 5.7 million acres of habitat since male common goldeneye. Her artwork went on to
its inception in 1934. compete in the National Junior Duck Stamp Art
The junior program started as an art Contest, where she placed third overall against
contest, but it has grown into a dynam- the Best of Show works from the 50 states and
ic art- and science-based curriculum U.S. territories.
that teaches wetland and waterfowl
conservation. The art competition is
Did you know the culmination of students’ study of these subjects
there’s a and their artistic portrayal of what they have learned.
The free program provides teachers with four
nationwide curriculum guides with lesson plans focusing on
waterfowl science, technology, engineering, art, and math
stamp art (STEAM). These ready-to-use guides provide year-
round activities for formal and nonformal education
contest just for as well as an educator’s guide to help teachers lead
kindergarteners students in their learning. Peterson is a self-taught artist and graduated from
Program artwork can be completed anytime
through during the year, but the deadline for entries is usu- Indiahoma High School this spring. Oklahoma contest
12th-graders? ally in March. Entries can include life-like or abstract judges have remarked that they would not be surprised
images of waterfowl, but they must still accurately to see Peterson’s artwork on the Oklahoma or the Fed-
show bird features and appropriate habitat types for eral Duck Stamp in the future.
the depicted species.
Waterfowl works from across Oklahoma are then Phillip Stephenson is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service wildlife biologist based at the
sent to the state Junior Duck Stamp coordinator, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge near Vian.

HONOR OUR MILITARY HEROES IT’S THE LAW:

KEEP SMALLER BASS
The Wildlife Department’s Stars & Stripes License
Project has provided no-cost hunting and fishing licenses Effective Sept. 11, 2022, anglers are allowed to keep six largemouth
to Gold Star Lapel Pin recipients, Next of Kin Lapel Button and/or smallmouth bass, but only one of those keepers can be greater
recipients, and resident military veterans. The project than 16 inches long. This new daily limit applies to public waters
depends on the generosity of public donors who want statewide where largemouth and smallmouth harvest is legal, but does
to join ODWC in honoring these people who give of not apply to rivers and streams, Lake Texoma, Doc Hollis Lake, or as stated
themselves for their country. in Special Area Regulations or local regulations. ODWC Fisheries Biologists
All donations are tax-deductible. Please consider making said the new limit is meant to encourage anglers to catch and keep smaller
a donation as small as $5 to the bass to improve the overall health of these populations. A companion rule
Stars & Stripes License Project. allows bass fishing tournaments to apply for an exemption to the new daily
Just scan the code. For more harvest restriction, which will allow tournament anglers to
information on applying for a Stars keep more than one bass over 16 inches as long as the
& Stripes license, go to https://www. fish are kept alive and released after weigh-in. Scan the
wildlifedepartment.com/licensing/ code for more information.
veteran-licensing.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 5