California Waterfowl awarded top honors this weekend to decoy carvers Roger Anderson of Lake Tahoe and Anthony Donato of Fresno at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association Wildlife Art Festival in Sacramento.

California Waterfowl Vice President for Fund and Membership Development Scott Mueller, center, evaluates entries in the CWA Decoy of the Year category at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association show in Sacramento on Jan. 21. On the right is decoy carver and former CWA wetland habitat biologist Rob Capriola, and on the left, CWA Life Member and Davis Dinner Co-Chair Matt Wilkerson.

Donato carved the winning CWA Decoy of the Year, a richly detailed blue-winged teal. And for the third year in a row, Anderson took home top prize for CWA's Hunting Heritage 3-Bird Rig competition with his outstanding set of greater scaup.

Winning carver Roger Anderson (center) with CWA President John Carlson, Jr. (left) and CWA VP for Fund and Membership Development Scott Mueller (right).

"There is a longstanding relationship between wildlife conservation and wildlife art," said Rick Banko, who serves on the PFDA board of directors and who is judging chairman for the show. "Wildlife art has been used as a funding source for the North American conservation movement since its inception.

"CWA's sponsorship of the Decoy of the Year and the Hunting Heritage Rig competitions attracts entries from the finest decoy carvers in the United States, and these competitions have become a centerpiece of the PFDA Wildlife Art Festival," he said. "PFDA's promotion of decoy carving, collecting and wildlife art is a natural fit with CWA's conservation and hunting heritage programs."

Anthony Donato of Fresno (center) won Decoy of the Year. He is flanked by judges in that category: CWA Life Member and Davis Dinner Co-Chair Matt Wilkerson on the left and CWA VP for Fund and Membership Development Scott Mueller on the right.

Scott Mueller, vice president for fund and membership development at CWA, noted that replicas of CWA's Decoy of the Year are popular items at its 100 annual fundraising banquets. "It's part nostalgia and part pure appreciation for the beauty of the wildlife that draw us to the marsh," he said.

Preliminary judging for the 3-Bird Rig competition took place at CWA's Suisun Marsh Field Day on June 2.

The winning 3-Bird Rig is featured in the auction at CWA's annual State Banquet and is sold as a set. This year's banquet will be held Aug. 4 in South Lake Tahoe - click here for details.

Next year's PFDA Show will be held July 20-21.