By the Nevada Department of Wildlife

The Nevada Waterfowl Association (NWA) has selected the Snow Goose for this year’s Nevada Duck Stamp Art Contest.

The 2013 Nevada Duck Stamp Art Contest is sanctioned by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners (NBWC), with the winning artwork to be featured on the 2013-2014 state stamp.

All interested artists are encouraged to enter the contest, whether residing in Nevada or elsewhere. Entries must be an original creation, in any drawing medium and must be received by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) no later than October 19, 2012. Contest rules are available on the NDOW website at http://www.ndow.org/wild/stamp, or by calling (775) 688-1998 for more information.

The Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens), is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage.
Snow geese that migrate through Nevada are part of the Western Arctic Population of Lesser Snow Geese.

Most (95% of the total) of this population of snow geese nest in the Egg River colony on Banks Island, with smaller colonies on the Anderson River delta and at Kendall Island in the Mackenzie River delta.
The Western Arctic Population of Lesser Snow Geese winters mainly in the Central Valley of California, but as the population continues to grow, their wintering distribution is shifting more and more eastward.

The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as “snows” and “blues.”

White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. Both snow and blue phases have rose-red feet and legs, and pink bills with black edges.

They are very vocal and can often be heard from more than a mile away.
Entries will be judged by seven individuals, including two members of the NBWC and five others as appointed by the Nevada Waterfowl Association. The names of the top ten finalists will be announced by NDOW on November 19, 2012.

In the state of Nevada, any person 12-64 years old who hunts any migratory bird except mourning or white-winged dove, snipe, coot or moorhen (gallinule) is required to purchase a state duck stamp. Money from the sale of Nevada Duck Stamps is used for projects approved by the Commission for the protection and propagation of migratory game birds, and for the acquisition, development and preservation of wetlands in Nevada.