S.D. features prominently in duck stamps

August is a time when hunters begin purchasing hunting licenses and writing the dates for the first days of hunting on the calendar. South Dakota starts waterfowl hunting on September 13-14 with a special weekend for youth-only (under 18-years-old). The young hunter must be accompanied by an unarmed adult. The idea is to educate youth about hunting and wildlife conservation. I hope the mentors talk about duck stamps.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has two duck stamp programs. The first program called “The Federal,” began in 1934. It is a stamp (now also an e-stamp, $25) that is required for waterfowl hunting. Ninety-eight percent of the money is used for waterfowl habitat conservation. A contest is held each year to choose the winning stamp design – a very big deal for wildlife artists.

The second duck stamp program is for youth, K – 12th grade, called “The Junior.” The Junior Duck Stamp, first issued in 1994, isn’t required for hunting, but it is also a big deal for young wildlife artists. This is the story of the first South Dakota Junior Duck Stamp Contest, and the incredible accomplishments of our 3-time award winner, Ms. Madison Grimm from Wallace, SD.

In the 1990s, the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to increase awareness of waterfowl conservation among youth; an art contest would be the focal point. South Dakota was one of the first eight states to try the program. The first junior contest in South Dakota was held in 1993 as a joint project between the SDSU Department of Visual Arts (Norm Gambel, Dept. Head) and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program at SDSU (Chuck Berry, Unit Leader).

We had about 300 entries from 50 schools. Each teacher who expressed interest received contest guidelines and a 50-page booklet of waterfowl and wetland related classroom activities. Judging was done at the old Staurolite Inn in Brookings.

Noted wildlife artist John Green joined professors from SDSU on the judging team. The best entries in each of four categories (K-3, 4- 6, 7-9, 10-12 grades) received ribbons and certificates of participation. In 1993 we sent awards to students in Aberdeen, Parker, Conde, Brookings, Rutland, Yankton, and Watertown.

The Best of Show was a drawing of a pintail duck done by Ms. Heather Hall from Arlington High School. Her drawing was sent to Washington DC to compete with entries from other states. The top three winners were invited with a parent and art teacher to attend the Federal Duck Stamp judging and tour Washington. Our South Dakota entry didn’t qualify.
I was invited to the ceremony at the Interior building in DC. I met Bruce Miller, from Mound, Minnesota. He was about to become famous and rich because he had won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest for adults. I asked him what advice he would give to kids entering the Junior contest.

He said “Tell’em to keep stamp design in mind, and give an expressive quality to the birds. Include enough habitat to show the judges you know the ecology of the birds.”

In the next two years, we had almost 1,000 entries each year. Best of Show awards were to students from Mitchell and Aberdeen, then the South Dakota Junior program was assumed by the Fish and Wildlife office in Huron. Imagine their surprise when they received an entry from 6-year-old Madison Grimm, AND, it was darn good. Good enough to win Best of Show at the national level in 2013. Yes Madison has a special story and talent, but there was controversy at first!

The contest officials denied her Best of Show because her Dad is an artist. There must have been collusion! But after further investigation, Madison’s precocious art talent was confirmed and her painting of a magnificent canvasback duck swimming toward the viewer in a foggy-water vista was awarded Best of Show. Madison’s website says “This was the painting that started it all.” (https://madisongrimmart.com/original-artwork).

Not only did Madison go on to win national Best of Show in 2020 and 2022, she founded a non-profit company with waterfowl conservation as the core principle.

Her company is called Second Chance Flight. She rescues ducklings and eggs when farmers call to report a nest had been damaged. At the family place in Wallace, she has an aviary with artificial pond, fenced area, buildings for bird rearing. She has a special permit from the USFWS to do this work. The released ducks have a 90+ percent survival according to data from banding studies.

Her business card has this: “By partnering with landowners and farmers, we work to ensure that every viable egg has the opportunity to hatch, grow, and return to the wild – preserving the life and legacy of our native waterfowl.”

Madison also developed an interest in rescuing upland birds like pheasants and turkeys, but South Dakota regulations prohibited private ownership of wildlife. So, Madison, now 19- years-old, went to the legislature. Last year, the Legislature passed House Bill 1265 (Madison’s Bill) to create a special permit from The Department of Game, Fish and Parks for salvaging non migratory game bird eggs. The South Dakota Wildlife Federation, parent of the Brookings Wildlife Federation, supported this bill.

Madison says “1265 opens the door for Second Chance Flight to expand our mission and give a second chance to even more birds that would have otherwise been lost.”

Madison spoke at the annual convention of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. Delegates from the Brookings were so impressed that they invited her to attend one of the local group’s monthly Infolunches. Madison said that she might have time in the fall, but right now “I just can’t …between taking care of almost 800 rescue birds every day, trying to finish my Federal Duck Stamp entry before August 15 deadline and everything else…I’m just completely stretched too thin.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service website has this: “Each year, tens of thousands of students spend time exploring wetlands and waterfowl and learning about the anatomy and ecological needs of their chosen species of waterfowl. They share what they have learned through a painting or drawing.” And, students learn about wildlife through classroom discussions; the curriculum meets science education standards.

Madison has taken this conservation education “thing” way beyond expectations of the Junior Duck Stamp Program. There were 13,000 entries in the Junior contest this year, and a South Dakotan is among the top three. Third place went to 14-year-old Thora Larson (North Sioux City area) who entered a blue-winged teal painted in acrylic and oil.

Purchasing a Junior Duck Stamp ($5) supports wildlife conservation education and grows our next generation of Duck Stamp artists and outdoors enthusiasts.