The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp
Benefits for Birders
A Conservation Legacy
In the early 1930s, waterfowl populations in North America were plummeting. Droughts, farming practices, and wetland drainage were taking their toll on migratory birds and causing conservationists alarm. Ducks, geese, and other migratory birds needed wetlands and grasslands to nest, raise their young, rest and feed during migration, and spend the winters. The wetlands on which they depended were rapidly disappearing.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (later amended to the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act and commonly known as the Duck Stamp Act), an increasingly concerned Nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under the Duck Stamp Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp while hunting. The Fish and Wildlife Service uses the revenues from the sale of Duck Stamps to purchase wetlands and waterfowl habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a waterfowl hunter and political cartoonist from Des Moines, Iowa, who at that time was appointed by Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the predecessor to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Duck Stamp Act demonstrated that hunters would willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
Much More than a Duck Stamp
Since 1934, more than 5.2 million acres (8,100 square miles) of wetlands and associated grasslands have been purchased outright or leased from willing owners to provide wildlife habitat. In 1958, an amendment to the Duck Stamp Act authorized the Fish and Wildlife Service to use Duck Stamp revenues to acquire Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA), small natural wetlands and associated grasslands located mostly in North and South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, and Minnesota. The grasslands provide critical nesting sites for waterfowl, as well as upland birds.
In addition to waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), other bird, fish, amphibian, reptile, and mammal species that rely on these habitats benefit. Furthermore, an estimated one-third of this country's endangered and threatened species find food or shelter on refuges established through the use of Duck Stamp funds.
Among the non-waterfowl birds directly benefiting from stamp revenues are waterbirds (Western grebe, least bittern, yellow rail, and black tern ), shorebirds (black-necked stilt, American avocet, whimbrel, red knot, and Wilson's phalarope), raptors (swallow-tailed kite, Swainson's hawk, and golden eagle), and wetland-associated songbirds (vermilion flycatcher, sedge wren, prothonotary warbler, LeConte's sparrow, and tricolored blackbird). The birds you view may rely on a national wildlife refuge or waterfowl production area for breeding, resting or wintering.
Duck Stamp revenues have purchased portions of the most popular birding destinations. Examples of these Refuges are Aransas and Santa Ana (TX), John Heinz (PA), Sonny Bono Salton Sea (CA), J.N. “Ding” Darling (FL), Parker River (MA), Bombay Hook (DE), Bosque del Apache (NM), and Lostwood in (ND).
A Conservation Bargain
The highest rated environmental charity at charitynavigator.com spends 95.4% of its budget on program costs. Many of the site’s 4-star rated organizations, which “exceed industry standards and outperform most charities in its cause,” spend 80% to 90% of their funds on program costs – an outstanding return on charitable giving. Remarkably, 98% of each Duck Stamp dollar ($14.70) goes directly to acquiring wetlands, grasslands and other important bird habitats. That makes it one of the most efficient uses of your conservation dollar.
Top Ten Things Friends Can Do To Promote Federal Duck Stamps
1. If your refuge participates in the fee program, be sure that information about Duck Stamps is easily and clearly available. (Duck Stamps are accepted as entrance passes on all national wildlife refuges that charge fees.) Be sure front desk staff and volunteers are familiar with Duck Stamps.
2. Purchase and distribute copies of The Federal Duck Stamp Story brochure or download from: library.fws.gov/Pubs9/Duck_Stamp_Story02.pdf
3. If your refuge doesn’t sell passes, you may be able to sell Duck Stamps through your bookstore. Or link to the official online sales site (Amplex Corporation) from your website: www.duckstamp.com/mm5/
4. Display and sell (or give away) small plastic stamp holders that birders can attach to their binoculars or packs. Available from: QLT novelties www.qlt.com (clear plastic key chain model #92033)
5. Purchase Duck Stamps and provide them as a membership incentive.
6. Purchase and display at every opportunity the “It’s not just for Ducks” retractable banner from:
Banner Creations, 1620 Central Ave. NE, Mineapolis, MN 55413
Phone: 612-871-1015, www.bannercreations.com
Cost: $350.00
7. Join the Duck Stamp support listserv by contacting Claire Stoker
8. Create compelling events or activities (field trips or festivals) where participation/entry requires a Duck Stamp. Be sure to sell stamps there.
9. Encourage all volunteers and refuge staff to purchase their own Duck Stamp.
10. Promote the Junior Duck Stamp contest locally.
Be creative! What other ideas do you have to promote Federal Duck Stamps?