A mockup of what a Wildlife Conservation Stamp might look like
Duck hunting is big business in the United States. (Just ask whoever greenlit the A&E reality show Duck Dynasty, about a family that sells duck calls.) Of all the dollars spent bagging ducks, a piece of the pie goes to the federal duck stamp program, which just went on sale; anyone over the age of 16 who wants to hunt migratory ducks needs to buy the stamp annually, and the funds raised go toward conservation and preserving and improving habitat for ducks and hunters alike.
But what about those of us who’d rather just look at ducks than shoot them? Where’s our duck stamp? Well, inspired by the success of this program, 10,000 Birds contributor Larry Jordan is part of an effort to create a Wildlife Conservation Stamp that would share some of the same goals as the duck stamp, but perhaps be a little more palatable to people who don’t hunt birds.
If this all sounds like a great idea to you, check out the Wildlife Conservation Stamp’s website to learn more. And be sure to support and share their Facebook page—your clicks can help push it over the 5,000 “likes” mark! The ducks, and those who enjoy them, will thank you.
Hi, Teresa — At the Wildlife Conservation Stamp website, we list the various benefits of a new stamp and among those, we cite funding for species and habitat projects that are sometimes short-changed in favor of game animal or game bird priorities. On our Facebook page, we regularly post stories across a variety of species from butterflies to reptiles to sea otters, to showcase the diversity of interests that bring birders, photographers and wildlife advocates together.
We may not have your colourful warblers here in Germany, but we also don’t have “Duck Dynasty”. I guess that evens the score.
Thanks for the publicity Meredith! We are hoping that people are sharing our enthusiasm for a new Wildlife Conservation Stamp and go check our our proposal and share it with their friends as well as our Facebook page too!
As Ingrid mentioned, this stamp is not just for birds but many other wildlife species that sometimes get overlooked because they are not hunted and therefore bring in no money to the system from license revenue.
Our stamp will bring in more revenue for land acquisition, education and non-consumptive recreational projects like boardwalks, viewing platforms, nature and interpretive trails and photography blinds.
Moreover, a new Wildlife Conservation Stamp will give birders, hikers, kayakers, wildlife photographers and other non-consumptive users a financial opportunity to stand up and be counted for wildlife conservation and habitat acquisition for our refuge system.
I think you’re right on that count Jochen!
I’m grateful that I came across this! This blog is very informative and educational. I hope many can get a chance to read this as this is very important topic to learn. It is indeed a duty of all of us to protect endangered species as we all live on the same planet. I also want to share something about PETAL wildlife conservationists through education. They are an organization that highly speaks of wildlife protection through their products. I support this group.