Teen's duck drawing earns state's stamp of approval

Eric Funk of Acton didn't win the $5,000 national first prize, but the artwork that made him the Massachusetts representative in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program competition can be viewed locally through Friday.

The 17-year-old senior at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School said he was surprised that his charcoal and colored-pencil drawing of a northern pintail duck was selected from nearly 400 entries in Massachusetts.

For his accomplishment, he was awarded a book on drawing birds and wildlife, a watercolor set, and $100, which Funk said will be put toward a laptop for college.

"I won honorable mention last year," Funk said. "I'm glad I decided to try again."

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is designed to teach wetlands and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school.

The Best in Show design from each state is entered in a national competition in Washington, with one design chosen for the following year's stamp.

Sold for $5 each by the US Postal Service, the Junior Duck Stamps benefit the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is displaying Funk's drawing at Middlesex Fells Reservation's Botume House Visitors Center at 4 Woodland Road in Stoneham.

CINDY CANTRELL