What’s the most inexpensive way to improve waterfowl habitat and secure the future of waterfowl hunting?
I’d start by purchasing a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly called the duck stamp, which all migratory bird hunters are required to purchase. In fact, I’d buy two. Let me explain.
I was rereading some old stories recently, including a piece I wrote on the duck stamp, and how its price—currently $15—hadn’t been increased since 1991, the longest stretch in its history.
Despite overwhelming support from a diverse range of hunting and conservation groups, a federal proposal to raise the price (to roughly $25) has withered on the vine in Washington D.C. since 2008.
The likelihood the U.S. Congress increases the price in the near future is slim and none. But waterfowl hunters don’t need a government edict to make a difference, and that’s why many in recent years have begun to purchase two duck stamps. In fact, Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson endorsed the idea in 2005.
“If every duck hunter in America purchases two federal duck stamps this fall, it would double the amount of money available to the prairie breeding grounds to protect critical waterfowl habitat,” said Olson, in a press release. “The duck stamp has done more to secure waterfowl habitat than any other waterfowl conservation program on the continent.”
