GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ohio — A black-capped chickadee perched on a pine branch will be featured on this year’s Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. The winning photo was taken by Bruce DiVaccaro of Sheffield Village.

His photo was chosen by attendees at the Wildlife Diversity Partnership Meeting at Geneva State Park, from 114 photos of black-capped or Carolina chickadees.

The photo will appear on the 2013 Legacy Stamp, going on sale March 1, according to the Ohio DNR Division of Wildlife (DOW).

“It’s an honor to see my work published,” said DiVaccaro, who took the winning photo in his Lorain County backyard.

The first runner-up photo of a black-capped chickadee was taken by James Brown of Akron. Arcadia resident Robert Hills was selected as second runner-up with his photo, also of a black-capped chickadee.

The Wildlife Diversity Stamp costs $15. Fourteen of those dollars are invested in the state’s Wildlife Diversity Fund, according to the DOW. The fund supports habitat restoration, wildlife and habitat research projects, the creation of wildlife education materials and efforts that restore and conserve endangered and threatened species. No state tax dollars go to this fund.

The idea for the Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp began at the first Wildlife Diversity Partners Conference in 2008. The goal was to provide Ohioans with an easy and visible way to support wildlife conservation. Leaders from conservation groups across the state were at that conference, which was convened for the purpose of increased communication between the DOW and Ohio’s wildlife diversity community leaders.

The value of the diversity program is that it is not necessarily focused on any one species or in any one part of the state, DOW chief Scott Zody said. It is something everyone can appreciate whether they’re a hunter, an angler, a wildlife watcher, a naturalist – or just someone who likes green space and wildlife.

The program has had successes, Zody said: the repopulation or the recovery of species such as the bald eagle, river otter and, more recently, the Lake Erie Water Snake.

“This spring we helped raise and release hellbenders (a large salamander considered ecologically significant) in eastern Ohio,” Zody said. “It is an animal that I think only a mother could love, but they are critical indicators of good water quality.”

Proceeds from the stamp go 100 percent to those projects; they are not used to pay for staff or personnel, said Kendra Wecker, Wildlife Diversity Project coordinator.

The subject for next year’s Wildlife Diversity Stamp photo contest has not yet been chosen, though some people have been lobbying for the Eastern box turtle. The contest is open to all Ohio residents.

“I think everybody starts out liking wildlife diversity,” Wecker said. “We need to learn how to continue that interest so that people are interested in wildlife and what is happening to wildlife, and how it affects them as a human. Everybody should try to get a friend interested in wildlife.”

The stamps are sold through many organizations that partner with DOW. For more information about the stamp and the photo contest, visit www.wild ohiostamp.com and information about other wildlife-related topics can be found at www.wildohio.com