| <html> |
| <body> |
| <p><strong>2005-2006 FEDERAL DUCK STAMP FACT SHEET</strong> The 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp program promises to be one of the most exciting Duck Stamp offerings in recent memory. In addition to the beautiful artwork of artist Mark Anderson, this year’s program offers innovative features and new products for both serious and casual stamp collectors. The First Day of Sale ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. at the Russell Senate Office Building at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 30. Federal Duck Stamps are valid from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.</p> |
| <p>The image for the Federal Duck Stamp is selected through an annual national competition that draws entries from some of America’s top wildlife artists. The Federal Duck Stamp competition, the only federal art contest mandated by the U.S. Congress, is often cited as America’s premier wildlife art competition and winning the contest is considered the highlight of a wildlife artist’s career.</p> |
| <p>Serious philatelists, stamp collectors, will be pleased to learn that renowned stamp engraver Czeslaw Slania, who died recently, designed this year’s Federal Duck Stamp. Although not able to complete the engraving, Slania did finish the preliminary stamp design and intaglio study prior to his death on March 17, 2005. Piotr Naszarkowski, his long-time protégé and associate did the actual stamp engraving. Naszarkowski has engraved approximately 75 stamps primarily for European postal administrations and the United States Postal Service. </p> |
| <p>This year’s Federal Duck Stamp design is reminiscent of Federal Duck Stamps of the past. Unlike stamps produced in more recent years, the new water-activated (lick-and-stick) stamps include a great deal of intaglio printing, a technique that requires engraving on a metal plate to raise the ink on the printed surface. U.S. currency, for example, is printed using the intaglio printing process.</p> |
| <p>While the water-activated stamp design was inspired by the past; the self-adhesive (peel-and-stick) stamps have a more modern design and include a philatelic first. The self-adhesive stamps incorporate a process known as stamp debossing in which parts of the image are recessed. The 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp is the first stamp ever issued by the federal government using this printing technique.</p> |
| <p>The added intaglio printing and stamp debossing contribute more than just philatelic interest to the 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp. The two printing techniques also add a security feature for law enforcement. Since each stamp will have a definite texture, law enforcement officers will be able to quickly and easily determine if a Federal Duck Stamp is genuine or counterfeit. </p> |
| <p>Both versions of the Federal Duck Stamp were printed by Banknote Corporation of America (BCA), located in North Carolina. BCA is a subsidiary of Sennett Security Products. Banknote has printed the Federal Duck Stamp three of the past four years.</p> |
| <p>The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will also offer special Duck Stamp-related products to appeal to a broad range of collectors. For the first time ever, serious Federal Duck Stamp collectors will have the opportunity to purchase uncut press sheets of both versions of the Federal Duck Stamp. Although a few press sheets of the 50th anniversary Federal Duck Stamp were auctioned in 1984, this is the first time full press sheets are available to the general public. The water-activated press sheet includes four panes of twenty stamps. The self-adhesive press sheet includes eighteen panes of one stamp. Only one hundred water-activated press sheets and one hundred self-adhesive press sheets will be available for sale.</p> |
| <p>The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will also offer stamp-related products for the more casual collector. Familiar products will be offered such as the Artist Card, which includes the new Federal Duck Stamp and the Federal Duck Stamp issued three years prior, and the First Day of Issue Ceremony Program. One new item this year is a First Day of Sale cover with a silk cache. The First Day cover is an envelope bearing a silk image of the Federal Duck Stamp, an actual Federal Duck Stamp, a first-class postage stamp, and the First Day of Sale cancellation mark.</p> |
| <p>The Federal Duck Stamp Program is considered one of the most successful conservation efforts ever initiated in the United States. Waterfowl hunters age 16 or older are required to have a current Federal Duck Stamp in their possession when hunting waterfowl. </p> |
| <p>Since its inception in 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp Program has generated over $700 million to preserve more than 5.2 million acres of wildlife habitat. Every dollar raised through the sale of Federal Duck Stamps is deposited directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. Approximately 98% of the funds are used to purchase wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Hundreds of species live in these habitats and nearly one-third of America’s threatened and endangered species rely on wetlands for their survival. Wetlands also help purify our drinking water by filtering out harmful chemicals, sediments, and wastes long before the water reaches our water supply. Finally, these lands provide places for outdoor recreation such as hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, wildlife observation, and photography. </p> |
| <p>A noteworthy success of the National Wildlife Refuge System and the Federal Duck Stamp Program is the recent discovery of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker in Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Arkansas. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was thought to be extinct for more than sixty years until its discovery this year on refuge land purchased with Federal Duck Stamp dollars.</p> |
| <p>In addition to its benefits to artists, conservationists, stamp collectors, and wildlife, the Federal Duck Stamp Program benefits all people who enjoy the great outdoors. Possession of a signed, current Federal Duck Stamp permits free admission to all National Wildlife Refuges that are open to the public. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages 545 National Wildlife Refuges on nearly 100 million acres of land throughout the United States. There is at least one National Wildlife Refuge in every state.</p> |
| <p>The Federal Duck Stamp Office administers the Federal Duck Stamp Program. For more information, please see the Duck Stamp Office web site at HYPERLINK "http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps or call 703-358-2000" www.fws.gov/duckstamps or call 703-358-2000.</p> |
| <p>For technical details on the stamp production, please see pages 67 and 68 of the May 26, 2005, Postal Bulletin at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2005/pb22155.pdf" www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2005/pb22155.pdf</p> |
| <p>Federal Duck Stamps and Duck Stamp related products such as the press sheets, Artist Cards, ceremony programs, and First Day covers are available through the U.S. Postal Service and Amplex Corporation. Please note: stamps and stamp products cannot be purchased prior to the June 30, 2005 First Day of Sale. For more information, contact</p> |
| <p>U.S. Postal Service: HYPERLINK "http://www.usps.com" www.usps.com or 1-800-782-6724</p> |
| <p>Amplex Corporation: HYPERLINK "http://www.duckstamp.com" www.duckstamp.com or 1-800-852-4897</p> |
| <p>To contact the 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp Artist:</p> |
| <p>Mark S. Anderson</p> |
| <p>5108 S. Ash Grove</p> |
| <p>Sioux Falls, SD 57108</p> |
| <p>Phone (605) 367-3055</p> |
| <p>www.markandersonwildlife.com</p> |
| </body> |
| </html> |
|
|
