Living Lightly: Buy a Duck Stamp

A Column Promoting a More Earth-Friendly Lifestyle

By John L. Turner

I’m occasionally asked what are some of the things a person can do to protect wildlife. One of the suggestions I always recommend is the next time you go to the local post office, take the time to buy a federal duck stamp. You can also easily purchase duck stamps online and at sporting goods stores. A duck stamp can’t be used for postage but does allow you free access to any national wildlife refuge. I keep mine in my wallet at all times.

Ninety eight percent of the current $25 cost of a duck stamp goes directly toward buying wetland habitat that waterfowl and so many other species depend upon. Since the program began in 1934 conservationists have committed about $800 million resulting in nearly 6 million acres of land permanently protected as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system. As these totals illustrate, this low profile program has been a remarkable success! 

Artists from around the country submit their paintings of various waterfowl species and one lucky contest winner is selected by a panel of judges. The duck stamp available through June 2025 by artist Chuck Black highlights a male pintail duck, a handsome and graceful duck that lives up to its name with a few long pointed feathers that form its tail.  The male’s chocolate brown head, cheek, and neck, the latter of which is pierced by an  upward pointing white dash, are diagnostic field marks of this species which overwinters on freshwater lakes and ponds on Long Island. 

So don’t forget to buy a duck stamp when you next visit your local post office!