06/07/06 Duck Stamps

Stamps that are just ducky. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The 2006-2007 editions of the Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp went on sale as part of a special First Day of Sale ceremony held June 1, 2006 during Washington 2006, the world`s premier international philatelic show. Duck stamps have a long history as Pat Fisher, Chief of the Federal Duck Stamp Office explains. FISHER: 1934 was a time of the dust bowl and water fowl populations were plummeting. The federal government and some visionaries such as the political cartoonist at the time and conservationist, J.N. "Ding" Darling and the hunting community got together and the hunters said that they were willing to pay a revenue tax in order to legally hunt water fowl if that money they raised could help restore water fowl populations by securing water fowl habitats for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since 1934, the sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated more than $670 million, which has been used to help purchase or lease over 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. These lands are now protected in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System. FISHER: Water fowl aren't the only wildlife that benefit from the sale of these federal duck stamps because numerous other birds, mammals, fish, reptile, amphibian species that rely on the same habitat benefit from having this land conserved. And it's also estimated that duck stamp dollars have helped provide habitat for one-third of the natures endangered and threatened species. According to Fisher, people benefit as well. FISHER: It helps protect people against floods. Wetlands absorb flood waters and some of the devastation down on the gulf coast might have been a little less severe if there had been more wetlands protected and duck stamps have always certainly bought wetlands. They help keep waterways clean. They're spawning grounds for fish. Birds wade and feed in those wetland areas and nest there. So if people like to go outdoors and enjoy recreational activities, they're bird watchers or they like to go fishing, duck stamp dollars have benefited them indirectly. Of course duck stamps aren't used as normal postage. FISHER: Duck stamps are pictorial stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They're not valid for postage, they're revenue stamps. Purchasing a $15.00 Federal Duck Stamp is an excellent investment because 98 cents of every dollar is dedicated to help conserve America`s fragile wetlands. Duck stamps are available from most post offices and outdoor stores. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.