Old Vision, New Vision

by Paul J. Baicich
November 2011

“I’m learning one thing the hard way… you have to re-educate the public mind about every 15 or 20 years or it forgets everything learned a while back.” — J. Norwood “Ding” Darling, artist, conservationist, hunter, birder, and head of the U.S. Biological Survey (1934–35).

Every year, June 24 marks the “First Day of Sale” for the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation (Duck) Stamp, an opportunity to help us connect a refuge past with a refuge future.

When the stamp was launched in the mid-1930s through the visionary activities of “Ding” Darling and his colleagues, the country was in the midst of a deep ecological crisis—one that combined economic hardship with environmental degradation. Yet that crisis did not prevent Darling and others from developing bold plans to confront the challenge.

All conservationists and outdoor recreationists who enjoy wildlife and protected natural places—large and small—can thank those who have regularly purchased these stamps over the decades. Since the program began, these men and women have contributed more than $750 million to secure 5.3 million acres of habitat for wildlife and for future generations of Americans.

Still—and as “Ding” Darling indicated so many years ago—we occasionally need to be reminded of some basic truths. The “First Day of Sale” should remind us of three essentials.

  1. Waterfowl hunters have been the foundation for securing some of the most important wetland and grassland habitats within the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is that simple.
  2. No one group can do it alone. The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp may rely heavily on waterfowl hunters, but today it cannot succeed in saving significant habitat for the Refuge System unless others in the wildlife conservation community also participate. Friends groups, birders, wildlife photographers, general conservationists, and environmental educators all have important roles to play.
  3. Purchasing a stamp benefits far more than ducks. Shorebirds, wading birds, and wetland and grassland songbirds increasingly depend on habitats secured through stamp purchases. The same is true for many other forms of wildlife—mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and butterflies—that flourish because of these conservation investments.

This is where the old vision and the new vision connect: a vibrant and broad conservation community working together to protect habitat for birds and other wildlife. That shared effort is the foundation for the continued success of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp program.

For more information about purchasing the stamp, visit www.fws.gov/duckstamps.