CANASTOTA — The Great Swamp Conservancy, 8375 N. Main St., Canastota, will display the traveling exhibit of the Federal Duck Stamp winning artist’s entries this year. This display serves a key role in preserving wetland areas which correlate with preserving our livelihood.

The display consists of this year’s winners and runners up. All of them are original painting submissions for the annual contest. Thousands of entries pour in each year making it a high honor to be recognized as a winning artist.

James Hautman took first place and has become the most winning artist this year with six total winning entries.

What are Federal Duck Stamps?

Established in 1934, President Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, focusing conservation efforts for waterfowl and their habitat. Issued by the federal government, the Stamp must be purchased prior to hunting migratory waterfowl. It is also used for free entry to National Wildlife Refuges that charge admission. With 98% of the duck stamp sales going towards wetland conservation, more than $1 billion has been raised to conserve over 6 million acres of wetland habitats.

The exhibit will be on display through Friday, July 29.