On March 29, while migrating waterfowl were returning to Maine nesting grounds, a flock of 368 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest entries arrived at the Maine Center for the Arts at the University of Maine. When the judging ended, 18-year-old Scott McNeff of Wells bagged the Best of Show award with his watercolor painting of northern pintails resting on a pond.

Come June 30, the Wells High School senior’s colorful painting will represent Maine in the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which, this year, includes 49 states. Scott’s talent and accomplishment in art can be attributed to his parents, Charles and Debra McNeff and his art teacher, Vanessa White-Capelluti. The talented youngster plans to attend Ohio Wesleyan University to study wildlife biology. But being an avid falconer, he first will travel to Wales in June, where he will participate in falconry training sessions with world-renowned experts.

This year’s Junior Duck Stamp Contest marked Maine’s first participation in the annual event initiated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1993. The host for the Maine contest, which included 46 schools statewide, was Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Old Town. First, second and third-place winners also were selected in each of the contest’s four age groups including grades K-12. Sixty two honorable mentions completed the judging.

Refuge manager Mark Sweeny called the contest a success. “We are very pleased with the number of entries we received in this first year of the contest,” he said, “and we’re already looking forward to next year. It’s just amazing to see the talent the kids brought to the contest.”

As one of the judges, I’ll second the manager’s comments, especially the latter. Not only are the artistic ablilities of Maine kids second to none, but equally important is the interest in the environment and wildlife resources reflected in their works. The Junior Duck Stamp Contest certainly will nurture and develop such interest.

The winning entries in the four age groups will be exhibited publicly throughout the state during the coming year. Afterward, the paintings will be returned to the artists. All participants in the contest will receive certificates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. First, second, third place winners and honorable mentions will receive ribbons. Maine Nature and Science is providing prizes for the top winners in each group.

Other contest judges were: Susan Knowles Jordan, winner of the 1994 Maine Duck Stamp Contest; Linda Kilch, president of the Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association and education director of Maine Nature and Science; Mark McCollough, wildlife biologist-artist of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Bill Silliker, well-known wildlife photographer and columnist for the Maine Sportsman.

A worthwhile event, the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest. What better way to promote and teach conservation of wetlands and waterfowl to youngsters than through a visual arts program?

Speaking of talented people, let’s not forget taxidermists – and look no further than Brian Bean of Greenville for an example. Recently, his entry in the Maine Sportsman’s Show – a mount of a bobcat stalking an ermine – took two first place ribbons in the mammals competition and then topped things off by winning the Sportsman’s Choice ribbon.

Brian’s skills won him a first place in the 1993 Sportsman’s Show taxidermy contest and a second and third place last year. Shortly, if he hasn’t done so already, he will hang out his shingle and enter the business full time at his Blair Hill shop.

Back along, I mentioned several Maine schools participating in the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s program of installing salmon-egg incubation tanks in schools. At the time, I didn’t know the St. Croix International Atlantic Salmon Association, in cooperation with the ASF, had placed tanks in schools in Vanceboro, Robbinston, Woodland and Peter Dana Point, as well as several in New Brunswick.

Joe Bothwick, the St. Croix Club member who cast the information my way, said the club’s first incubation tank was installed in the St. Stephen, N.B. Middle School in the spring of 1994. The tank was placed in teacher Linda Perry’s classroom and, according to Joe, was an absolute success.

In his letter, Joe asked why the St. Croix River isn’t referred to as one of the Down East salmon rivers. Allowing that the St. Croix is about as far Down East as you can get and still be standing in Maine, that’s a good question.

Thanks to fly tiers “Moose” Bodine of Houlton and Ron Kelley of Princeton, I’ve got enough streamers to get me through the fishing season. Moose sent me along six of his “Friendship Flies” that he says are guaranteed to bring out the suicidal tendencies of landlocked salmon.

Ron’s gift of four streamers – tied from hair clipped from his Brittany Spaniel, if you please – arrived in an envelope marked, “Down East Headache and Stress Cure.” The enclosed instructions read: “Take one or two and add to a large amount of water for extended periods of time. Warning: Extremely habit forming. May be refilled.”

All I need now is open water and a foolish fish.