The state has named the winners of this year’s Hawai‘i Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp Art Contest.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources put out a call for artists to design this year's stamps back in December 2022.
Alvin Galvez’s realistic, bright green painting of a kāhuli has won the conservation stamp category.
In February, Gov. Josh Green declared 2023 the “Year of the Kāhuli” in honor of Hawaiʻi's endemic land snails. What used to span over 750 species of snails, has dwindled to about 300 — due to habitat loss and invasive predators. A third of the surviving species now face near extinction.
Galvez is not a stranger to this contest, as he also won it in 2018 with his painting of a turkey on Maunakea.
Lauren Trangmar won the game bird stamp category with her image of the chestnut-bellied sandgrouse. The birds, native to northern Africa and Southern Asia, were introduced to Hawaiʻi in the 1960s.
The conservation stamp is used as a requirement for the Hawai‘i state hunting license. The game bird stamp is specifically required for those intending to hunt game birds.
Funds from sales of these stamps go into the State Wildlife Revolving Fund to support wildlife populations and habitats, and to manage hunting programs in Hawaiʻi.
Stamp collectors who would like an original stamp can call (808) 587-0166 or visit the Division of Forestry and Wildlife office in downtown Honolulu.
Both stamps will be available on July 1.
