The 2009-2010 federal duck stamp goes on sale today (Friday, June 26). Every person with an interest in or concern for birds should buy one. Ninety-eight percent of the $15 cost is used to purchase land for national wildlife refuges and waterfowl management districts. Purchase of the stamp is required if you hunt waterfowl. Benefits of stamp funds reach far beyond ducks, however. The habitat created for waterfowl, like refuge habitat, supports hundreds of non-game bird species. If you’ve ever birded at one of Minnesota’s national wildlife refuges you know what I mean. Buy the stamp. Hunters put them on their hunting license. I stick mine on the cover of my Sibley identification guide. Put yours somewhere where you and others can see it often. Let it serve as a reminder of the importance of this purchase. Most post offices will have the stamp on Friday, as will many sporting goods stores. Minnesota’s 13 national wildlife refuges, all offering excellent birdwatching, are Agassiz, Big Stone, Crane Meadows, Hamden Slough, Mille Lacs, Minnesota Valley, Rice Lake, Rydell, Sherburne, Tamarac, and Upper Mississippi River. There are eight waterfowl management districts covering more than 267,000 acres. (Images from US Fish and Wildlife Service)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Bird conservation, Idea of the day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.