Duck Stamps evidence that good can come from bad

Canvasbacks, by Adam Grimm. Grimm's artwork will grace the newest Duck Stamp

Duck Stamps evidence that good can come from bad

The Columbus Dispatch
Sunday, October 6, 2013

NATURE
Jim McCormac

On May 9, 1934, a dust storm of Armageddon-like magnitude roared through the Great Plains, tossing tons of dirt skyward. The drought- stricken area was in the midst of the Dust Bowl, and its sun-baked soil was swirling aloft in great black clouds.

Chicago, well to the east, was coated with an estimated 6,000 tons of windblown earth.

The human toll from the Dust Bowl was great, and so was the cost to wildlife. Ducks, already hammered by unregulated hunting and wetland losses, were battered by the Dust Bowl. Conservation-minded people became alarmed by the decline in waterfowl populations.

In 1934 — the same year as the epic storm that grimed the Windy City — the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp was launched. It has since become better known as the Duck Stamp.

Purchasing a stamp was — and is — required to hunt waterfowl, but hunters almost universally supported the stamp’s creation even if it was a tax on their sport.

The Duck Stamp is one of the most successful conservation strategies in history. In the 80 years since its inception, the stamp has generated more than $800 million, which has been used to purchase or lease more than 6 million acres of prime habitat — an area larger than New Jersey. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has been a competent manager of Duck Stamp money: 98 cents of every dollar goes to land acquisition.

Habitats purchased by stamp money help ducks, but that’s not all. One-third of federally endangered and threatened plants and animals are supported by Duck Stamp purchases.

Ohioans needn’t travel far to see proof of duck-driven biodiversity. About 89 percent of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge near Toledo was bought with stamp dollars. The refuge harbors ducks galore but also least bitterns, leopard frogs, bronzed copper butterflies, Eastern fox snakes, wild rice and more. It’s also one of the most popular bird-watching locales in the Great Lakes region.

The inaugural Duck Stamp featured a beautiful painting of a pair of mallards by Jay “Ding” Darling, the stamp’s architect. This established the framework of original artworks selected by a jury. The 1934 stamp cost $1; the 2013 stamp, $15. Today, a mint 1934 stamp is worth about $600.

It’s a huge honor for an artist to win the stamp art contest. To date, 59 artists have done so, with only a dozen winning multiple times.

On Sept. 28, Elyria native Adam Grimm entered an artistically rarefied atmosphere when his painting of a pair of canvasbacks was selected for the 81st Duck Stamp. He had won in 2000 at age 21 with his rendering of a mottled duck. Grimm walks the talk: He invested earnings from his art into habitat restoration at the Ottawa refuge.

Anyone interested in nature can also help by buying a stamp. You’ll never spend a better 15 bucks.
For more information, visit www.fws.gov/duck stamps.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at www.jimmccormac. blogspot.com.

Adam Grimm: Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp winner!

Ohioan Adam Grimm, artist and conservationist, has won the Ohio Wetland Habitat Stamp competition with his rendering of a Northern Pintail. Each year, about two dozen artists from far and wide vie for the honor of having their artwork featured on this stamp, which was introduced in 1982. Competition for top honors is fierce, and the winning entry is selected by a team of bird-savvy judges.

Adam, who hails from Elyria, Ohio but now makes his home in North Dakota, burst to prominence in 1999, when his beautiful painting of a Mottled Duck won the Federal Duck Stamp competition. That honor put him squarely in the rarified atmosphere of a relative handful of wildlife artists who have had their work grace the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, which had its inception in 1934 and has since raised over $750 million for habitat acquisition. Chances are great that if you are a birder, you've ogled interesting birds on property purchased with Duck Stamp dollars.

Not one to forget the conservation roots of the Duck Stamp, Adam plowed some of his winnings into his home state's lone federal refuge, the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge along Lake Erie. If you've birded that area much, you've probably seen this sign marking a beautiful tall grass prairie. It was Adam's generosity that made its restoration possible, and now we can enjoy Bobolinks, Sedge Wrens, and Upland Sandpipers in and around this prairie. Coincidentally, over 90% of the funds to purchase Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge came from Duck Stamp dollars. You can buy a Duck Stamp HERE.

Back in 2007 or thereabouts, the fledgling Ohio Ornithological Society asked Adam if he would be guest of honor at a special OOS fundraiser, to help raise money to assist in the purchase of land. Grimm graciously and enthusiastically agreed, and thanks to him we were able to pull in a sizeable chunk of change. That money ultimately went to provide a necessary match for Clean Ohio funds, and along with The Nature Conservancy we were able to help purchase a key parcel of land in TNC's Edge of Appalachia preserve in Adams County.

Finally, here it is - Adam's winning Northern Pintail. It'll adorn the 2014 Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp.

This isn't Adam's first time at this dance. He won the Ohio stamp competition in 2005 with a beautiful portrayal of a Wood Duck, and he has also won state stamp competitions in Alaska (twice), New York, and Washington.

Congratulations to Adam Grimm, who is not only a great artist, but also a true conservationist.