Delaware Artist Wins Maryland Black Bear Conservation Stamp Design Contest

Black Bear Conservation Stamp Design Contest Winner

Steve Oliver from New Castle County, Delaware won the 19^th Annual Maryland Black Bear Conservation Stamp Contest with his painting, Autumn Morning, of a black bear taking a walk in a meadow.

“The Black Bear Conservation Program is important and I am happy to support it in any way I can,” said Oliver.

A panel of judges selected Oliver’s work before a crowd on April 26 at the 45th Annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Md. Oliver is the only artist to win this award six times since the contest began in 1996.

Since entering into the professional art community in 1995, Oliver’s work has won numerous awards and honors, and has been featured on several conservation and hunting stamps, including the 2010 Delaware Duck Stamp. To see more of his art, visit steveoliverart.com.

Proceeds from the sale of the Black Bear Stamps and other related items are used to compensate Maryland farmers experiencing agricultural damage caused by black bears. These proceeds are added to the Black Bear Compensation Fund established by the Maryland General Assembly. To purchase Black Bear Conservation Program items, go to shopdnr.com.

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