(From left) Rich Smith, DU chief development officer; Richie Prager; Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Bruce Museum curator of science; Adam Putnam, Ducks Unlimited CEO; and John Cushman, DU director of development, enjoy the exhibit Conservation Through the Arts: Celebrating the Federal Duck Stamp, which was made possible by Prager’s generosity.

Ducks Unlimited

(From left) Rich Smith, DU chief development officer; Richie Prager; Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Bruce Museum curator of science; Adam Putnam, Ducks Unlimited CEO; and John Cushman, DU director of development, enjoy the exhibit Conservation Through the Arts: Celebrating the Federal Duck Stamp, which was made possible by Prager’s generosity.

The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, widely known as the federal duck stamp, is one of the country’s most impressive conservation success stories. Since 1934, these stamps have generated over $1.2 billion to conserve more than 6 million acres of migratory bird habitat, much of it within the national wildlife refuge system. Hunters and collectors purchase this three-square-inch piece of art each year, knowing that their contributions protect our natural resources for future generations. Today about 1.5 million stamps are sold annually. The majority are purchased by waterfowlers, and the rest are bought by stamp collectors and other conservation-minded people.

In 1949, the first federal duck stamp art competition was held at the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC. The competition is now an annual tradition, with hundreds of artists from around the nation competing to be the next federal duck stamp artist. Winning the competition is a huge boost for artists, significantly increasing the value of their work and enabling them to sell products that include images of duck stamp art.

This year’s competition was held at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, where at the same time a remarkable exhibit, Conservation Through the Arts: Celebrating the Federal Duck Stamp, was on display, thanks in large part to the generosity of Ducks Unlimited Major Sponsor Richie Prager. Ducks Unlimited was also a sponsor of the exhibit.

Richie is an avid outdoorsman, conservationist, and duck stamp collector. He started collecting duck stamps while he was still a teenager. In subsequent years, he began to seek out original paintings, drawings, etchings, and other items related to winning duck stamp entries. Richie donated 72 pieces from his one-of-a-kind collection to the Bruce Museum to share his passion and give back to his community. The long-term plan is for the collection to travel the country and educate the public about the federal duck stamp program.

 “Seeing the positive reactions from visitors at the Bruce Museum exhibition reassured me that I made the right decision to share this important part of conservation history with the public,” Richie said. “I am excited for the collection to tour the country and inspire many more conservation-minded people to buy their own duck stamp.”