Press Releases
02/04/2022
2022 Connecticut Duck Stamp Reproductions Now Available
Stamp Features a Male Wood Duck Painted by Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Artist Sophie Archer
(HARTFORD)—The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announces that a limited quantity of reproductions of the artwork for the 2022 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation (Duck) Stamp, which features a male wood duck, is now available for purchase. The artwork was created by Sophie Archer, who was the winner of the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest.
The Conservation Edition prints are all signed by the artist, and three of the prints are remarqued, each in pencil and accompanied by an illustration of a pair of wood ducks. The prints are $200.00, and as with everything Duck Stamp related, all proceeds go toward the enhancement of wetland and associated upland habitats in our state. The sale of Connecticut Duck Stamps and Conservation Edition prints has generated over $1,500,000. More importantly, this money has been used to leverage other funds for habitat conservation in our state, resulting in over $4,453,000 in actual conservation dollars on the ground. Those interested in purchasing a print should contact DEEP Wildlife Division biologist Min Huang at min.huang@ct.gov or 860-418-5959.
Sophie’s painting marks the second painting to grace the Connecticut Duck Stamp that is also the winner of the Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Contest. After a long run of holding a nationwide contest to represent the Connecticut Duck Stamp, the Committee decided to promote local artists, their respective schools, and the connection between art and nature by using the Junior Duck Stamp winning artwork as the State stamp image. This also ensures that a Connecticut artist’s work is featured on the Duck Stamp. Every student, from kindergarten through high school, who participates in the Junior Duck Stamp Competition is provided with a limited curriculum on wetland conservation, waterfowl, and nature in general.The Connecticut Waterfowl Association (CWA) administers the program and competition, which provide a meaningful introduction for students on the importance and benefit of wetlands and clean water, while also giving context to the waterfowl species they are painting.
Over 15 different schools and home studios from across Connecticut (for a total of 54 entries) submitted artwork for the 2021 Junior Duck Stamp competition. Sophie Archer, the “Best of Show” artist, has participated in the Junior Federal Duck Stamp competition from the age of six as a kindergartner. Her love of the arts runs in the family, her mother having graduated from Parson's School of Design and her grandmother and sister both studying art and working as artists and designers in New York City. Aside from painting, Sophie studies ballet and enjoys baking, pottery, history, and classical literature. According to Sophie, she has become more focused over the years on preserving nature and feels strongly about the conservation aspect of the Duck Stamp competition and the Connecticut Waterfowl Association's mission to preserve and protect the habitat of Connecticut's wildlife. Sophie feels honored for having the opportunity to participate in this ever-growing and important project.
Proceeds from the sale of all Connecticut Duck Stamps and artwork reproductions are deposited in the Connecticut Duck Stamp Account, which is the sole source of money for many of the wetland projects that are conducted in Connecticut. Wetland conservation projects do not receive any funding from Connecticut’s General Fund. Federal dollars also provide some funding for wetland conservation efforts in our state, often from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program with monies generated by hunters. The Duck Stamp Program is a great example of how the North American Conservation Model works. Users of the resource pay into funds whose monies are solely dedicated to conservation. In North America, hunters are the only users of our natural resources that annually pay, through a self-imposed tax on equipment, for the conservation of the great outdoors.
Benefits of the Connecticut Duck Stamp Program:
- Over 3,445 acres of wetlands in the state, mostly on state-owned wildlife management areas have been restored or enhanced using Duck Stamp funds.
- Seventy-five acres of critical wildlife habitat have been purchased using Duck Stamp monies.
- Projects have been conducted at over 50 sites statewide.
- Approximately 274 birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles of the state that rely upon clean, healthy wetlands have benefitted from Duck Stamp funded projects.
Learn more about the Connecticut Duck Stamp Program and the Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/CT-Duck-Stamp.
Do your part for conservation in Connecticut. Own a piece of history and contribute to habitat protection and restoration by purchasing a Connecticut Duck Stamp and/or an artwork reproduction! All migratory bird hunters are required to purchase a Connecticut Duck Stamp. Non-hunters and others who wish to support wetland habitat protection can also purchase Connecticut stamps for $17 from Connecticut’s Online Outdoor Licensing System (https://portal.ct.gov/CTOutdoorLicenses) under the "Other" category. Those who are not already licensed hunters or anglers will need to get a Conservation ID number to use the site. Stamps can also be purchased from DEEP’s License and Revenue office by sending a check for $17 to DEEP License and Revenue, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106 (ordered stamps will be sent through the mail).
2022 Connecticut Duck Stamp - Painted by artist, Sophie Archer, the winner of the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest.
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Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110