February is a good time to visit the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cheyenne Headquarters to see the award-winning work of local youth artists. The 2017 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wyoming Junior Duck Stamp Program’s top-placing entries are on display until Feb. 28, and is one of the last chances to see this work.

Kids from across the state submitted 574 art entries, from kids in kindergarten up to 12th grade. Students were able to include a “conservation message” with their art summarizing what they learned through the program. Isabelle Olsen, 15, of Wright, submitted this year’s winning conservation message:

“People say that the future holds great things, but without conservation the future holds nothing.”

Wyoming’s 2017 Best-of-Show artwork was of a king eider drake, titled “Taking Flight” by Hannah Saville, 15, of Powell. Saville’s colored pencil of the king eider drake and Olsen’s conservation message represented Wyoming at the 2017 National Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest, held last April.

Annually, a panel of judges selects the national level Best of Show, which will be used to create the National Junior Duck Stamp. The Junior Duck Stamp is available for $5 from the U.S. Postal Service, Amplex Corporation and from many National Wildlife Refuges, as well as at www.duckstamp.com. Proceeds from the sale of the stamps support conservation education and provide awards and scholarships for students, teachers and schools participating in the Junior Duck Stamp Program.

Wyoming’s Junior Duck Stamp Program also awards a “Betty Nelson Artistic Promise Award” to the younger age group, kindergarten through sixth grade, to an artist the judges feel exhibits exemplary artistic promise. This year’s Betty Nelson Artistic Promise Award went to Ryan Cox, 10, of Riverton for a colored pencil and pencil depiction of a wood duck drake.

The Wyoming Junior Duck Stamp Program is sponsored by the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program, Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge and Wyoming Ducks Unlimited and is made possible through support and participation of local teachers, parents and Wyoming students.
The following is a list of artists who placed first, second, and third, as well as the honorable mentions and recognition for creativity from each group for student’s Wyoming Junior Duck Stamp Program artwork:

Group I (grades K-3):

Place	First Name	Last Name	Age	City
1st	Rosemary	Shriver	8	Wilson
1st	Dune	Mecartney	9	Jackson
1st*	Julia	Krugh	8	Wilson
2nd	Riley	Meyer	8	Kemmerer
2nd*	Danika	Draper	8	Kemmerer
2nd*	Abel	Jimenez	8	Kemmerer
3rd	Noah	Parks	7	Kemmerer
3rd	Jaydyn	Nate	9	Cokeville
3rd	Harper	Maher	8	Wilson
HM	Tessa	Davis	8	Kemmerer
HM	Kimberleigh	Goodman	8	Kemmerer
HM	Seth	Maxwell		Kemmerer
HM	Anna	Smith	8	Kemmerer
HM	Brinley	Backman	8	Kemmerer
HM	Tucker	Erickson		Kemmerer
HM	Samantha	Viviano	7	Kemmerer
HM	Ledger	Ellis	8	Kemmerer
HM	Taylar	Nate	6	Cokeville
HM	Whitli	Groll	7	Cokeville
HM	Beryl	Eddy	8	Wilson
HM	John	Horstmann	8	Wilson
HM	Zoe	Bosch	9	Wilson
HM	Quincy	Judd	9	Kelly
HM	Lola	Mizelle	7	Kelly
HM	Adrienne	Howard	9	Jackson
Creative Recognition:
*	Anni	Hansen	6	Wilson

Group II (grades 4-6):

Place	First Name	Last Name	Age	City
1st	Samual	Dornan	10	Kelly
1st	Casey	Loewer	9	Jackson
1st - Betty Nelson Artistic Promise Award	Ryan	Cox	10	Riverton
2nd*	Cecily	Ross	11	Wilson
2nd	Brynn	Abbey	11	Wilson
2nd*	Mackenzie	Nez	10	Riverton
3rd	Beckett	Maher	11	Wilson
3rd	Georgia	Evans	9	Kelly
3rd	Sascha	Mizelle	10	Kelly
HM	Ava	Tozzi	11	Wilson
HM	Madeline	Moore	10	Wilson
HM	Tatum	Graham	11	Wilson
HM	Alex	French	11	Wilson
HM	Brynn	Crabtree	10	Wilson
HM	Leo	Hillinger	9	Wilson
HM	Maddie	McNamara	10	Wilson
HM	Bradford	King	10	Wilson
HM	Dylan	Zimmerman	11	Kelly
HM	Alison	Burcham	10	Kelly
HM	Maisen	Borchardt	11	Moran
HM	Aurora	Stiles	11	Moran
HM	Carter	Hatling	9	Pine Haven
HM*	Griffin	Miller	10	Wilson
HM*	Vanessa	Jorgensen	9	Wilson
HM*	Moriah Joy	Heindel	10	Jackson

Group III (grades 7-9):

Place	First Name	Last Name	Age	City
1st & 2nd Runner Up for BOS	Trienna	Collicott	15	Powell
1st & 4th Runner Up for BOS	Sloane	Asay	15	Powell
1st* & Wyoming Best of Show	Hannah	Saville	15	Powell
2nd	Randallin	Flores	15	Powell
2nd	Sydney	Nate	13	Cokeville
2nd*	McKenzie	Clarkson	15	Powell
3rd	Daymon	Myers	13	Cokeville
3rd	Whytney	Murdock	14	Cokeville
3rd	Jordan	Nate	13	Cokeville
HM	Abigail	White	14	Powell
HM	Sierra	Morris		Powell
HM	Tyson	Jones	16	Powell
HM	Aaron	Snyder	14	Powell
HM	Heather	Wittick	15	Powell
HM	Lauren	Lejeune	15	Powell
HM	Marie	Ramier	14	Powell
HM	Wyatt	Murray	15	Powell
HM	Karson "Yeti"	Luthi	15	Cokeville
HM	Janessa	Moody	15	Cokeville
HM	Kayla	Teichert	13	Cokeville
HM	Michael	Cook	12	Cokeville
HM	Dakota	Bethers	13	Cokeville
HM	Austin	Benson	15	Cokeville
HM	Demi	Harmon	13	Cokeville
HM*	Nate	Barnes	13	Cokeville
Creative Recognition:
*	Marina	Goffaux	16	Powell
*	Jasmin	Gonzalez	13	Cokeville

Group IV (grades 10-12):

Place	First Name	Last Name	Age	City
1st	Maggie	Cruz	15	Powell
1st & 1st Runner Up for Best of Show	Kaylee	Cornia	16	Cokeville
1st & 3rd Runner Up for BOS	Rayven	Faxon	17	Powell
BOS Conservation Message	Isabelle	Olsen	15	Wright
2nd	Brooke	Tucker	17	Powell
2nd	Alley	McKinnon	17	Cokeville
2nd	Aubrie	Stenerson	16	Powell
3rd	Rachel	Bonander	15	Powell
3rd	Yoli	Oussanov	17	Cokeville
3rd*	Luis	Varela	18	Wright
HM	Tiffany	Bergman	18	Powell
HM	Jalie	Timmons	15	Powell
HM	Jonathan	Morrow	17	Powell
HM	Alina	O'Leary	15	Powell
HM	McKenzie	Thompson	16	Powell
HM	Jacinta	Schneider	17	Powell
HM	Jaighden	Rayment	17	Powell
HM	Wesley James Lawson	Patrick	16	Powell
HM	Brianna	Simmons	16	Powell
HM	Addison	Petrie	17	Powell
HM	Britney	Bowen	16	Cokeville
HM	Lukia	Brown	17	Cokeville
HM	Cheyenne	Reed	18	Cokeville
HM	Hanna	Helm	17	Cokeville
HM	Jacque	VanVleet	16	Wright
HM	Corban	Reade		Wright
Creative Recognition:
*	Joshua	Summers	15	Powell
*	Trey	Donahue	17	Cokeville
*	Jakob	Harmon	16	Cokeville
*	Brianna	Wrigley	17	Wright