The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is hovering excessive in colleges all through Louisiana. College students, Ok-12^th grades, throughout the state from public, non-public and residential faculty teams participated on this prestigious contest.

The Junior Duck Stamp contest was created by Jaye Boswell on the Sanibel Faculty (then Sanibel Elementary Faculty) in 1989 and adopted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 1992. This yr celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the competition.  This system is a take-off of the annual Federal Duck Stamp competitors began by Jay N. “Ding” Darling in 1934. Final yr greater than 28,000 college students from throughout the nation discovered the significance of defending wetland environments to waterfowl administration practices and different wildlife conservation strategies whereas taking part within the Junior Duck Stamp artwork contest.

“Tranquility” is the title of the 2022 Louisiana Better of Present masterpiece created by 17 yr previous Caleb Clement of Shreveport, LA. That is the third Better of Present win for Clement and this yr’s entry is an oil portray of an American Wooden Duck drake. With steerage from native artists, academics and his household, Clement’s masterpiece stood out from the remainder together with his consideration to element and use of lighting.

Clement’s portray will compete within the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest in opposition to rivals from all 50 states and 4 U.S. territory on Friday, April 22, 2022. Scholarships will probably be awarded to the highest three artists and the successful conservation message within the nationwide contest. The primary positioned Federal Junior Duck Stamp nationwide winner’s paintings will probably be made into the 2022/2023 Nationwide Junior Duck Stamp that sells for $5.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife workers and volunteers choose the conservation message portion of the Louisiana Junior Duck Stamp contest anonymously. Kelby Brown, 14 years previous from Franklinton LA, submitted this yr’s successful Louisiana Conservation Message. Brown wrote “Preserve the duckies and don’t be fussy!” Kelby’s message can even compete within the nationwide competitors on April 22, 2022.

All Louisiana individuals will obtain a certificates of completion within the 2021/2022 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design program. Successful paintings might be seen on-line at this hyperlink – https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzKNLh

The Louisiana Junior Duck Stamp winners are as follows:

Group 1 (Ok-3^rd grade)

            1^st Place: Merek Hu, Antian He, Michael Yi

            2^nd Place: Arya Ning, Ethan Liu, Matthew Yi

            3^rd Place: Adalyn Pohlmann, Fabiana Montenegro, Anabelle Pohlmann

Honorable Point out: Isabella Meyers, Annabelle Steele, Kailee Brown, Lavender Luckett, Linzi Washington, Connor Stoltz, Information Peters, Riley Jackson, Victoria Trahan, Han Bui, Kelsie Gradney, Michael Cody, Jonah Williams, Zoey Diggs, Camille Joseph, Elias Mackie

Group 2 (4^th – 6^th grade)

            1^st Place: Delilah Miller, Mahdi Peters, Aubrey Sanders

            2^nd Place: Anthony Canales, Charles Taylor, AJ Thomas

            3^rd Place: Alycin Weatherspoon, Kaileigh Haynes, Legacy Peters

Honorable Point out: Javion Sanders, Aidan Jones, Joshua Paul Myers, Alexandria Kelly, Darrel Daniels, Marvin Canales, Jace Edwards, Kyla Barber, Madison Rome, Zada Diggs, Giamani Colman, Zavier Gardner, Aubrey Blount, Isabella Kelly, Jordan Rossum, Kynnedi Irwin

Group 3 (7^th – 9^th grade)

            1^st Place: Ethan Schilling, Elana Jordan, Future Martinez

2^nd Place: Jane Alphonse, Kelby Brown, Izabel Hanson

            3^rd Place: Rayanna Schilling, Makayla McBeth, Alexis LeBlanc

Honorable Point out: Hayden D’Luca, Railee Ray, London Magee, Morgan Modlin, June Westmoreland, Luke Roshto, Blaize Hanson, Beau Webb, Eden Thomas, Payton Galloway, Jacqueline Castro, Olivia DeLeon, Gabriella Deslatte, Roan Bickham, Addyson Stewart, Stephen Revere

Group 4 (10^th – 12^th grade)

            1^st Place: Caleb Clement (Better of Present), Marleigh Schilling, Evee Graham

            2^nd Place: Mattie Smith, Brianna Sharp, Future Watkins

            3^rd Place: Emma Cooke, Brooke Hartzog, Morgan Athey

Honorable Point out: Anthony Wootan, KeTeylar Hodges, Kade Langne, Morgan Killgone, Briana Walle, Gracie Thigpen

USFWS Photograph: 2022 Louisiana Junior Duck Stamp Better of Present winner. Oil Portray by Caleb Clement, 17 yrs. previous from Shreveport, LA.

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The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to preserve, defend, and improve fish, wildlife, crops, and their habitats for the persevering with good thing about the American individuals.  For extra data on our work and the individuals who make it occur, go to  www.fws.gov/southeast.  Join with us on Fb at www.fb.com/usfwssoutheast, comply with our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws, and obtain pictures from our Flickr web page at http://www.flickr.com/pictures/usfwssoutheast.