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When Minnesotans buy state hunting and fishing license stamps they are contributing directly to work that supports duck, pheasant, trout, wild turkey and walleye management.

Next year, when people purchase the 2012 walleye stamp, they will also be buying a piece of history. That's because the 2012 stamp was painted by John House, the Melby artist who now holds the distinction of being the only person to win all five of Minnesota's wildlife art stamp contests.

"Clearly, the 2012 walleye stamp has special meaning for me," said House, a full-time professional artist for more than 30 years. "I am honored that my work was selected. It's rewarding to know that my art has been part of Minnesota fish and wildlife conservation for more than a decade."[[In-content Ad]]

House's stamp-winning art has included paintings of green-winged teal, brown trout, a strutting tom turkey, a cagy rooster in stride, and a walleye slashing at a school of shiner minnows amidst rock and submerged logs.

Annually, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conducts wildlife art contests for the duck, pheasant, trout, wild turkey and walleye stamps. House won the duck stamp contest in 1999, pheasant in 2004, trout in 2006, turkey in 2008 and walleye in 2011. The contests are judged by an impartial jury of experts, none of whom know whose artwork is being evaluated.

Ed Boggess, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division director, said stamp sales represent an important part of the DNR's overall funding portfolio. These revenues, he said, fund habitat improvement projects related to the species they depict. Stamp revenues also fund research and population monitoring, and are often used to contribute to large public-private partnership where their return on investment is even greater.

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