It’s time again to buy your Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – known by most as a “duck stamp.” This program was begun in 1934, and the money from the sale of the stamps has put over 6.5 million acres of wetlands into National Wildlife Refuges. The vast majority of purchasers have been hunters, because they have been required to buy the stamps to be able to hunt. We have the responsibility to pay too. Birders and the birds we love − songbirds and raptors as well as water birds − have benefited from all the habitat created, saved, or restored. Of course, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals also use these areas.
The artwork on this year’s stamp is a painting of Black- bellied Whistling Ducks. The stamps are $25 and are available at some post offices, through duckstamps.com, thepostalstore@USPS.com, the American Birding Association website, and many sporting goods stores.
Buy a duck stamp! Do your birder part to preserve habitat.