Historic Cane Hill and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are partnering for the annual Northern Bobwhite Quail and Eastern Wild Turkey Stamp art contest. Vanessa McKuin is the executive director of Historic Cane Hill.
"We got involved because part of our mission is to promote the arts and to build on the rich history and the legacy of the arts and culture and natural heritage in our Ozarks community," McKuin said. "So it seems like a natural fit since quail and turkey and their habitat are a part of the natural heritage of the Ozarks region and our area and there's there's a lot of quail habitat restoration in particular happening nearby. So, it made sense for us to try and highlight those efforts and kind of merge the the arts and the natural heritage into this program."
Since 2018, these voluntary conservation stamps have helped to raise more than $2 million worth of habitat restoration for quail and turkeys on public lands throughout the state.
"We know that habitat loss is one of the biggest reasons why, you know, quail population is down," she said. "Something that I remember as a kid going out and hearing the Bobwhites whistle, you know, you just don't hear that very much anymore. And you know, learning that that restoration is actually helping to bring back some of those animals in their natural habitat is really exciting."
The nationwide competition is open to any artist in the U.S. 18 or older now through Feb. 3. In addition to having their artwork featured on the stamps, winners will earn a cash prize of $2,500, second-place gets $500 and third place will receive a $250 prize.
"We put together a jury made up of subject matter experts on quail and turkey and an artist, and they review the submitted pieces, evaluate them for artistic merit and very importantly for a depiction of ecologically correct Arkansas natural habitat that eastern wild turkeys and northern Bobwhites would have," McKuin said "We want to clearly depict you know what you would see in Arkansas where these birds would be so the judges select the best design that will make an interesting stamp that will be useful and attractive and will be accepted and prized by hunters. Conservationists, stamp collectors and anybody who's interested really."
McKuin said winners will be announced during a public exhibition at the Historic Cane Hill Gallery on March 16. A link to submit artwork is available on their website.
