Never before displayed in public, this renowned private collection will be exhibited at the Brooks Museum of Art in conjunction with the US Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Duck Art Stamp Competition to be hosted in Memphis this fall.

Native Memphian Paul Tudor Jones II is perhaps best known today as the founder of Tudor Investment Corporation and one of New York's top futures traders. However, it is his passion for waterfowl decoy collecting that will be of greatest interest to visitors to the Brooks Museum this fall, when his extensive private collection goes on display for the first time ever. The waterfowl decoy exhibition, scheduled from Sept. 26 - Oct. 29, will be held in conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, which returns to Memphis for the second consecutive year this fall.

Jones, chairman and CEO of the Tudor Group of companies, grew up in Memphis and attended Memphis University School before embarking on a hugely successful career in asset management and proprietary trading. His interest in conservation and wildlife, which includes serving as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and director of The Everglades Foundation, has driven his decoy collection to impressive levels.

"This is a very exciting opportunity to present one of the world's best antique decoy collections to the American public," said Gary Guyette of Guyette & Schmidt, Inc., the world's largest antique decoy auction firm. "Mr. Jones' collection includes rare examples from most of North America's premier early decoy carvers including; Elmer Crowell, Albert Laing, Joseph Lincoln, Charles Perdew, and the Ward brothers. He has quietly been collecting top decoys for more than 15 years, but only a handful of people have had the privilege of viewing this incredible grouping of North American folk sculpture."

Jones' close friend and uncle, world-renowned cotton merchant Billy Dunavant, was the primary factor in Jones's decision to bring his collection to Memphis. Dunavant is the 2006 honoree of the gala dinner that will be held in conjunction with this year's Duck Stamp Contest. Dunavant will be recognized for his philanthropic leadership and contributions to the Memphis community, arts and conservation. Dunavant and his wife Tommie were inaugural co-chairs of last year's Duck Stamp festivities-called Conservation Through Art-along with John and Anne Stokes.

The Conservation Through Art dinner will be held at the culmination of public judging on Sat. October 7, and the Stokes return as chairs of the event, along with business and community leaders Henry and Snow Morgan and Chuck and Susan Smith.

The Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, which is sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, will be held at Memphis College of Art Sept. 25-Oct. 7. The event is free and open to the public. Previously held in Washington, D.C., it is the nation's oldest and most prestigious wildlife art competition, and one of the most successful wildlife conservation programs ever initiated.

"Hosting this prestigious art competition and one of the country's premier waterfowl decoy collections in Memphis is a fantastic opportunity," said Susan Schadt, Greater Memphis Arts Council president and CEO. "We are looking forward to putting on a great event which appeals to the cultural community as well as to the many individuals in this region who are interested in wildlife conservation and efforts."

Additional community events are planned in conjunction with the exhibits as part of the two-week Conservation Through Art celebration, including a free Family Day on Sept. 30, a presentation by Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway author Alan G. Haid on Oct. 6, and various other artists' workshops and lectures.

"North America's Premier Decoy Auction Company", Guyette & Schmidt, Inc., of St. Michaels, Maryland, has been added to this year's program and will be available to provide information and answer questions on this exhibition of rare waterfowl decoys. Gary Guyette and Frank Schmidt, co-owners of Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. will also provide free decoy appraisals all day on October 6th and 7th.

"Our co-host, Ducks Unlimited, and partner organizations Greater Memphis Arts Council and Memphis College of Art energized the local community and brought the Federal Duck Stamp Program to new audiences last year," said Dale Hall, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service director. "I look forward to another successful contest in Memphis."

"We're proud and excited to host the Duck Stamp competition here in Memphis again," added DU executive vice president Don Young. "The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a long and successful history of partnership with Ducks Unlimited, and this competition lets duck hunters know just how important their Duck Stamp dollars are to wetlands conservation."

Raising funds to ensure excellence in the arts and build a vibrant cultural community for everyone, the Greater Memphis Arts Council is the 6th largest United Arts Fund in the nation. The Arts Council will distribute more than $3 million in funding during the upcoming fiscal year to the local arts community. Arts Council funding includes operating and project support to local arts organizations, Arts Build Communities grants and Student Ticket Subsidy awards through annual funding from the Tennessee Arts Commission and Enhancement Grants through funding from the Memphis for the Arts campaign. The Arts Council also funds arts education through the Arts for Children & Teachers (ACT) program, which brings the arts to thousands of area school children every year.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature's most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 100,000 wetland acres each year. Look for Ducks Unlimited at www.ducks.org.

St. Michaels, Maryland based Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. is the world's largest decoy auction firm. Established in 1984, they work with organizations such as they Ward Foundation Museum, Easton, Maryland Waterfowl Festival, and the Tuckerton, New Jersey Seaport Museum, to educate the public about North America's waterfowl hunting tradition and the classic wooden decoys used in that era.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.