Page 6 - ODO 2024 JanFeb online version

GADWALLS IN FLIGHT TO GRACE 2024-25 WATERFOWL STAMP

Artwork depicting gadwalls in flight created by Guy
Crittenden of Richmond, Va., was voted the winner of the
2024-’25 Oklahoma Waterfowl Stamp Design Competi-
tion. The design will be featured on Oklahoma’s waterfowl
stamp for the 2024-25 hunting seasons. Crittenden’s
creation appears on this magazine’s cover. His win earned
him a $1,200 award.
Crittenden’s artwork was among 20 entries submitted
this year by hopeful artists from across the nation.
Artists who received honorable mention are by Dennis
Arp of Edison, Neb.; Diane Ford of Bethesda, Md.; and
Gunner Hilliard of Williamstown, N.J.

Honorable mention: Dennis Arp of Edison, Neb.

Winner: Guy Crittenden of Richmond, Va. (see front cover).
The Wildlife Department has held the Oklahoma water-
fowl stamp art contest annually for 43 years. The program
was designed to fund activities to ensure quality habitat
for the hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese that
migrate through the state each year. Oklahoma’s design
contest features portraits of the diverse waterfowl species
that migrate through the state by some of the best wildlife
artists from Oklahoma and across the nation.
The program generates funding for waterfowl con-
servation projects through the sale of waterfowl licens- Honorable mention: Diane Ford of Bethesda, Md.
es, required of most waterfowl hunters, and the sale of
stamps, many of which are purchased by collectors. The
state duck stamp formerly served as Oklahoma’s water-
fowl hunting license.
The program has helped the Wildlife Department
acquire almost 12,000 wetland acres and to enhance,
create, restore and maintain critical waterfowl habitat.
Wetland development units such as Hackberry Flat Wild-
life Management Area in southwestern Oklahoma and
the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain
County have benefited from state duck stamp funding.
To support waterfowl habitat conservation in Oklahoma,
buy an Oklahoma duck stamp in the online Outdoor Store at
https://license.gooutdoorsoklahoma.com/Shop/Inventory.
This year’s art contest features the lesser
scaup. Contest registration is now open,
and artworks will be due Aug. 31, 2024. For
complete rules, scan the code.
Honorable mention: Gunner Hilliard of Williamstown, N.J.

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