Maryland Partners with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Offer New E-Duck Stamp

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a new three-year pilot program to make it easier for hunters, birdwatchers and stamp collectors to buy Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Federal Duck Stamps.

Starting on September 1st, DNR and fish and wildlife agencies in eight other states will sell the stamps electronically, providing a special receipt as proof of purchase. This proof of purchase – a unique code given to the purchaser instantly – will be accepted as evidence of a Federal Duck Stamp purchase for 45 days – time enough for the printed stamp to arrive in the mail.

The new effort enables duck stamp purchasers to buy an electronic Federal Duck Stamp from Maryland’s retail licensing locations, by telephone, or online. Every waterfowl hunter over the age of 16 is required to buy a Federal Duck Stamp in order to hunt waterfowl. In addition, Federal Duck Stamps provide free entry into any national wildlife refuge in the country that charges an entrance fee.

The Federal Duck Stamp is currently available at most major sporting good stores selling hunting and fishing licenses, select post offices and online through the U.S. Postal Service and AMPLEX, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Duck Stamp fulfillment center.

“The Federal Duck Stamp program is a significant source of funding for wetland conservation and this new effort will allow hunters and conservationists to more conveniently purchase the stamp,” said DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Director, Paul Peditto.

Nintey eight cents of every dollar generated is used to purchase or lease wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since the stamp’s inception in 1934, more than $700 million has been raised to acquire more than 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat. In 2005, more than 1.6 million Federal Duck Stamps were sold.

Click this link for more information about the Federal Duck Stamp Program.

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August 9, 2007

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov