Downloads

We have a number of fine materials that can be used to promote and appreciate the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp. Some are from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; some are from other NGOs; some are from our own Friends Group.

Materials supporting the release of the 2019-2020 Duck Stamp

All of the following documents in a .zip file (11.2 MB)

Materials introducing the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp

  • Our latest: one-sheet, two-sided trifold brochure (PDF format)
  • Slideshow (Microsoft PowerPoint .ppt format, revised February 2014)

Duck Stamp Fact Sheet

Everything that two pages can tell you about the Stamp program (PDF format) (revised September 2019).

The Federal Duck Stamp Story

In more depth, this handy eight-page brochure (PDF format, document revised July 2002, link updated October 2019) from the Fish and Wildlife Service tells the story of the Federal Duck Stamp, from its origins in the wetland crisis of the 1930s to its use today in helping build the Refuge System through acquisition of wetlands and grasslands. The brochure also describes the development of the Junior Duck Stamp.

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission 2019 Annual Report

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) will usually convene three times a year—during the months of March, June, and September, or as needed. The Division of Realty for the Refuge System produces an annual report for the MBCC (PDF format, released July 2020), one that summarizes the operations of the Commission during the preceding fiscal year. The current report features vintage illustrations by Bob Hines.

Since the MBCC’s establishment, over 4 million acres have been acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by fee purchase, easement, or lease with monies from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF). The MBCF is where the Stamp dollars are deposited. This provided the Department of the Interior with financing for the acquisition of migratory bird habitat, vital wetland and grassland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Meet the National Refuge System

This 24-page booklet (PDF format, revised June 2014) provides a history of the Refuge System, from Pelican Island to Papahānaumokuākea. Plus current budgets, a list of enabling legislation, and a table of where the system’s acreage is located.

Refuges that have grown through MBCF dollars 2016

This very important document shows a listing of all the refuges (PDF format) in the Lower 48 states that have used the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) to secure property. You can view the acreage acquired, refuge by refuge, and you can also view the percentage of each refuge that was acquired thanks to Duck Stamp dollars. It’s particularly informative if you wish to see which refuges near you, or which refuges among your favorites, have used Stamp dollars for acquisition.

 Certificate of Conservation

How much did your stamp secure in the way of wetland and grassland habitat when you bought your last stamp?

Our Friends group has attempted to pursue a reasonable answer to that question.

According to preliminary numbers from the USFWS, there were about $53 million that came into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) in 2013. At the same time, the combined fee-title and easement acres of wetland, bottomland, and grassland habitats secured during the year were 60,000 acres (or about 7,000 acres for refuges and 53,000 acres for small wetlands and associated grasslands in the Prairie Pothole Region).

That comes out to about $883 per acre of habitat secured. If 98% of the price of a Duck Stamp goes into the MBCF for habitat preservation, that’s $14.70 per stamp. Then, the $14.70 accounts for 1.66% of an acre, or 725 square feet.

In our opinion, that’s impressive. To be able to stand somewhere on a refuge or WPA and think that “my stamp” secured a block that’s about 725 square feet, should make anyone feel proud. To accentuate the significance of that sort of conservation contribution, you can download a Certificate of Conservation, one to which you can attach a valid $15-stamp and show off your role in preserving 725 square feet of crucial habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Public Service Announcements: Print and Electronic

We have a number of high quality images, essentially Public Service Announcements (PSAs), that you are free to use in your magazines, newsletters, blogs, websites, or Facebook to promote the Stamp. You can download some of these excellent generic PSAs here.

We also have some specific PSAs for birders. They are in four different sizes, again available for print and electronic use. These PSAs are modeled after the PSAs that Pheasants Forever developed in their magazine, aiming to appeal to hunters who are not required to buy a Duck Stamp. You can access these model PSAs for birders here.

Top Ten reasons to buy a Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp

Our list of the Top Ten Reasons to Purchase a Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Microsoft Word .doc format) was compiled by the leaders of our Friends Group. Feel free to use any or all of the reasons, to add details if you wish, and to attribute the collection to the Friends Group or not as you see fit! Don’t hesitate to use the image of the new Stamp!

Small Posters Downloadable

All hunters over the age of 16 are required to hold a valid stamp when hunting waterfowl. Other outdoor enthusiasts are not required to buy a stamp, but they should. Our Friends group encourages birders, photographers, environmental educators, anglers, and any other individuals passionate about the natural world to support the Stamp. Linked below are posters created by Kevin J. Lowry to help promote the sales of the Stamp among those not required to buy a stamp. One poster is geared to visitors to National Wildlife Refuges, and the other is for Wetland Management Districts (and WPAs).

You can download the posters (PDF and JPEG format) here.

More Downloads

The Duck Stamp Office home page is a good place to begin. Also see the archive page for the Annual Report of Lands controlled by the USFWS. And see this table of Duck Stamp sales by state, from inception through FY 2011.

And Some Older Downloads

Introducing Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp.