By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A painting of a pair of ruddy ducks by Jeffrey Hoff of North Dakota won the 2009 Ohio Duck Stamp competition. The winner was selected at the annual Ohio Ducks Unlimited (DU) meeting.

DU is the largest conservation organization in the world to conserve, protect and enhance wetlands, said John Murphy, state chair of the organization.

Hoff had entered the Duck Stamp competition four times prior to winning and each painting featured ruddy ducks, said Tim Daniel, Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW), contest coordinator.

Hoff said ruddy ducks are his personal favorites and Ohio had never featured them on a duck stamp.

Before winning, Hoff said he was going to keep entering pictures of ruddys until he saw them on a Duck Stamp. For his efforts he won $2,000 from the DOW, Daniel said. Hoff will be asked to provide the state of Ohio with about 130 prints from the original artwork. He retains copyright of his artwork and can market it as he sees fit.
The Ohio Duck Stamp competition has been going on since 1982.
John Ruthven was the first contracted artist, and his artwork is still the highest selling duck stamp.

“After the first year we went to a competition, and we’ve been doing it that way ever since,” said Daniel, who has been coordinating the contest for 10 years. This year the contest had entries from 24 artists from 12 different states; 10 artists were from Ohio.

Duck Stamp is a bit of a misnomer: “It’s actually a Wetlands Habitat Stamp,” he said. “The money that is received from sales of the stamp goes toward habitat. We don’t manage for species like ducks or certain kinds of ducks or waterfowl.

“We manage for habitat and the habitat money goes to wetlands, which ducks need to survive, but a lot of other animals do, too,” he said. “Most wildlife can utilize wetlands and we need to provide more opportunity. Ohio has lost 90 percent of its wetlands in recorded history.”

Money from sales of the Duck Stamp helps fund DU’s conservation efforts, Murphy said. The organization does most of its work in partnership with government agencies, other organizations and individuals. DU also works with farmers and private landowners who receive funds from the federal government through the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Conservation Reserve Program.
“About 60-70 percent of DU members are duck hunters and the rest are conservationists. They realize the benefits of wetlands in that they prevent flooding and take toxins out of the water,” Murphy said.

Hunters must buy a Duck Stamp to be able to hunt waterfowl; it’s part of the hunting laws, Daniel said. “Other folks will buy them, too, he said. “People that enjoy conservation, stamp collectors will buy them. We have some folks that collect stamps from each state (that has a duck stamp) to add to their collection.”

The stamps are available online at www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife and at license vendors. Call 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543) to find the nearest vendor.

Artists interested in the competition may call and request an artist’s packet.