Have An Outdoorsy, Artistic Side, Pinole and Hercules? Duck Stamp Contest Starts Soon

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be accepting submissions starting May 1 for the 2015-2016 California Duck Stamp Art Contest, wildlife officials said.

Artists will have until June 3 to submit entries. U.S. residents 18 years of age and older as of March 4 are eligible to enter the contest and entrants do not need to reside in California. The winning artwork will appear on the 2015-2016 California Duck Stamp.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife once required hunters to buy a stamp and affix it to their hunting license, but now the stamps are collectors’ items. Besides the winner, other top submissions will be displayed at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s art show in July. Wildlife officials said the artwork must depict an American green-winged teal, the species selected for the competition by the California Fish and Game Commission.

A panel consisting of experts in the fields of ornithology, art, printing and conservation will pick first, second and third place winners and an honorable mention at a public event in June. Since 1971, top wildlife artists from around the nation have entered the contest.

The proceeds from the sale of stamps will go toward waterfowl conservation projects in California. Official rules can be found at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Duck-Stamp/Contest.

--Bay City News

Also on Patch:

• Have A Li’l Chef? Cooking Up a Great Book for Kids
• Saturday Smiles: Rescued Sea Lion Pups Released; East Bay City Turns 139; Athletes Bring Home Medals and Championships
• Former Fremont Teacher, Pleasanton Resident Gets 16 Years for Molesting Second-Grader
• Firefighters Douse Kitchen Fire in Livermore
• Chowchilla Kidnapper Who Buried Busload of Children in Livermore Quarry in 1976 Granted Parole
• Charges Dropped Against 2 Homeless Men in Berkeley After Alleged Attack Caught on Camera
• UPDATE: House Under Construction Near Oakland Children’s Hospital Collapses
• Do You Know This Man? Padlock-Wielding Suspect Caught on Camera Striking Cabbie May Live in East Bay