The Federal Duck Stamp: 88 Years of Conservation Funding

For just a minute, I’d like you to imagine yourself in the prairie pothole region of North America. A vast expanse of grasslands and small sloughs stretching from northern Iowa, up through western Minnesota and the eastern halves of the Dakotas all the way up through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Thousands upon thousands of shallow ponds surrounded by thick prairie grass swaying in the wind has a beauty all on it’s own that is hard to comprehend without seeing first hand but believe me when I say, it’s a special place. 

This area has gained the proper nickname, “The Duck Factory” as it is responsible for up to 60% of the breeding grounds for many duck species and other migratory birds in North America. Seems like a pretty important place to protect doesn’t it? 

That’s where this story begins. Protecting wetlands. 

In the 1930’s, massive drought and unsustainable farming practices had led to the dust bowl across the plains which essentially dried up the prairie pothole region. This coupled with market hunting and an explosion of decorative feathers being used for fashion led to a population collapse of waterfowl in North America.

Amidst one of the largest ecological and financial droughts in history (The Great Depression), it would seem to be a an inopportune time to pass a bill that effectively “taxes” waterfowl hunters to participate in the sport. But in 1934, thanks to conservation champions such as Ding Darling, the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act was passed. This bill was aimed at providing resources to protect and enhance wetlands to help protect our fragile ecosystem from decaying any further. By Law, 98 cents of every dollar spent on the purchase price of duck stamps must be used for purchasing and improving wetland habitat. And 88 years later, it is hard to look at the Federal Duck Stamp as a tax and certainly feels more like an investment in the future.  The proof is in the millions of protected wetlands. 

Ding Darling hunting. Ding Darling was also the artist for the first ever Federal Duck Stamp and director of the Bureau of Biological Survey (forerunner to today's U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). 

Every waterfowler over the age of 16 is required to buy a Federal Duck Stamp in order to hunt migrating birds. Each year, over a million hunters purchase the stamp and that money is spent on the continuation of wetland protection. 

But you don’t have to be a duck hunter to purchase a Duck Stamp. That is one of the coolest things about it. The barrier to entry to donate to conservation is so low with this funding mechanism that anyone can do it. You don’t need a hunter’s safety license, you don’t need to join a conservation organization (although you should), you don’t need to hold any other tag to qualify for the stamp, you can simply buy one. 

I’m a strong proponent for every single hunter to purchase a Duck Stamp each year. Because after all, what’s good for the ducks is good for the deer, elk, moose, upland birds, turkeys, and 700 total species of wildlife that rely on wetland habitat every year. Above and beyond wildlife, wetlands play a vital role in water quality, flood mitigation, and erosion.

Since the inception of the Federal Duck Stamp, more that $1.1 Billion has been raised solely through the sale of the stamp and because of that, over 6.5 million acres of wetlands have been protected. 

As previously stated, 98 cents from every dollar spent on the purchase price of the duck stamp is required by law to be spent on purchasing more wetlands and enhancing the federal refuge system.  

The money is also granted to organizations such as Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited to help match dollars being used for wetland habitat projects. This helps stretch how far each dollar can go and increases the output for the habitat that can be protected and enhanced each year. Since 1958, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has used stamp revenues to protect “waterfowl production areas”—over 3 million acres—within the critical Prairie Pothole Region. The same program also protects declining prairie-nesting birds in the face of increasing loss of grasslands. As a result, refuges are among the best places to find grassland specialties such as Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Clay-colored Sparrows, Sedge Wrens, and others.

The artwork for the Duck Stamp is chosen in a pretty awesome way all in itself. Each year, a contest is held and artists from all over the country participate. It is highly competitive and each year hundreds of entries get submitted. 

There are typically 4 or so species artists can choose from and then judging is done by a panel and the winner has their art displayed on the stamp for the million + waterfowlers each year that are required to buy one. 

This year’s art was painted by James Hautman. The Hautman brothers are something of a dynasty in the duck stamp world winning the contest 14 times collectively over the years! 

The Duck Stamp is one of the greatest and oldest conservation funding tools that has ever been created. If you are looking for quite possibly the easiest way to donate to conservation, just go pick up a duck stamp. The birds will thank you for it.