HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Game Commission is gearing up for the 2004 Pymatuning Ducks Unlimited Waterfowl Expo Sept. 18 and 19 at Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center in and around Linesville, Crawford County.

A highlight of the two-day event is the selection of the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Management Stamp from entries by wildlife artists, which will take place at 1 p.m. Sept. 18, at Alice Schafer Elementary School, Linesville.

Exhibits by woodcarvers, taxidermists, crafters, hunting equipment vendors and others will be featured both days, as well as hunting dog demonstrations and duck calling contests.

A feature of the weekend will be a wildlife and nature amateur photography contest.

For details, call the learning center at 814-683-5545, or write to Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center, 12590 Hartstown Road, Linesville, PA 16424. Entries will be accepted from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. until Sept. 15, except Mondays and Tuesdays, when the center is closed.

The center's activities and exhibits will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19. Exhibits include those from the Purple Martin Conservation Association; the Conneaut Lake-French Creek Valley Conservancy; the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry; the Natural Resource Conservation Service; and the Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forestry Council.

Additional activities at the center include: at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 18 a waterfowl information and banding program, with the opportunity for children to assist in the release of wild ducks. Short wildlife-related programs and activities will be both days at 1 p.m.