Conservation Corner: December 11, 2000

The Federal Duck Stamp Program, Part 2
by James L. Cummins

This is the second of a 2-part series on the Federal Duck Stamp Program.

Undoubtedly, though, Darling's most significant contribution was the concept of a Federal revenue stamp to generate funds for the acquisition of waterfowl habitat. His idea became reality on March 16, 1934, when Congress passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act which required every waterfowl hunter, 16 years of age or older, to purchase and carry a stamp, annually. Proceeds from the sale of the duck stamps were earmarked to buy and lease waterfowl habitat.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned Darling to design the first Federal Duck Stamp. Darling produced a small pencil sketch of a pair of mallards. In August of 1934, the stamps went on sale and a total of 635,000 were sold at one dollar each. The price of duck stamps has increased with the value and decreasing availability of wetlands. Waterfowl habitat once selling for as little as $1 an acre now costs thousands of times that price. Duck stamp sales hit a peak of over 2.4 million in 1970-71. A collector who purchased each of the 56 stamps at the issue price would have spent a total of $201.50. His or her investment would now be worth over $4,000. That increase has turned many stamp purchasers into avid collectors. All stamps not sold are destroyed three years after issue, thus preserving the value of the stamps purchased by collectors.

Until 1949, a nationally recognized wildlife artist was commissioned to produce a duck stamp design. Since that year, however, an annual Duck Stamp Design Competition has taken place. The winning design is chosen by a panel of waterfowl and art experts. By 1981, the number of annual entries had risen to 2,099; the number has since leveled off between 800 and 1,000. The focus of the program has changed. The goal in recent years has been to preserve key wintering and breeding habitats in each of the four major north-south waterfowl migratory flyways, particularly those most threatened by development. Efforts are also underway to save areas needed by species whose numbers are low or declining, such as black ducks, canvasbacks, mallards, white- fronted geese, pintails, redheads and wood ducks.

The duck stamp program also aids wildlife other than waterfowl. One-third of the nation's endangered or threatened species find food and shelter in wetland habitats provided by the program. The enhancement of the marine life food chain also provides nourishment for coastal spawning and nursery grounds on our Gulf Coast.

Mississippians benefit immeasurably from the preservation of wetlands. Natural filtering action purifies our water, temporarily stores excessive runoff and floodwaters and, by brunting the force of storm waves, protects our shorelines and fragile barrier islands.

The purchase of a Federal Duck Stamp provides an opportunity for every citizen to make a small investment in an enormous endeavor - the preservation of our natural heritage of waterfowl and wetlands.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.