The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that a Federal Duck Stamp Commemorative Silk Cachet has been issued to help raise money for national wildlife refuges impacted by the Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill.

The cachet features a silk rendering of an award-winning photograph of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf [...]

Today was the First Day of Sale for the
2010-2011 Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp.
The 2010-2011 Federal Duck Stamp features an American wigeon painted by wildlife artist Robert Bealle, of Waldorf, Maryland. Last fall, a panel of five judges chose Bealle’s creation from among 224 paintings at the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest, [...]

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved a total of $35.7 million for refuge acquisitions and wetlands grants for migratory birds — $30.4 million in federal funding for grants to conserve more than 6.1 million acres of wetlands and associated habitats in the United States and [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today a single hooded merganser was selected to appear on the 2010-2011 Federal Junior Duck Stamp. The design for the new stamp, painted by 18-year old Rui Huang of Columbus, Ohio, was chosen by a panel of judges at the National Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest held at [...]

The Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is the culmination of the Junior Duck Stamp educational program. After studying waterfowl anatomy and habitat, students then use their knowledge to draw, paint or sketch a picture of an eligible North American waterfowl species.
Students from around the United States submit drawings to their state, territory or district competition. [...]

If you’re engaged in some holiday shopping, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a great gift suggestion: Consider giving someone a Duck Stamp — or Migratory Bird Stamp — for the holidays.
As the USFWS states:
What better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than by stuffing holiday stockings with a federal Duck [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that Robert Bealle — an artist from Waldorf, Maryland — won the 2009 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest. Bealle’s painting of an American wigeon will be made into the 2010-2011 Federal Duck Stamp, which will go on sale in late June 2010. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [...]

For the first time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland will host the nation’s oldest and most prestigious wildlife art competition — the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest on October 16 and 17 at the National Wildlife Visitor Center.
The only federally-sponsored juried art competition, the contest is [...]

The Department of Interior announced yesterday that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved the expenditure of nearly $8 million in Federal Duck Stamp funds to add more than 4,000 wetland acres to seven units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. According to the DOI:

These acquisitions include:

Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area, Kern and Tulare Counties, California [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has posted two attractive public service announcements for the Duck Stamp — or Migratory Bird Stamp — program. The graphics are a nice reminder that all nature lovers should be supporting the purchase of Duck Stamps, which help fund the protection of habitat and species that we all enjoy. [...]

As this blog reported last week, the new 2009-2010 Duck Stamp — or Migratory Bird Stamp — went on sale June 26. As the number of hunters in America declines, it’s more important than ever that other types of conservationists chip in and buy a Duck Stamp. This includes birders, anglers, photographers, hikers, and anyone [...]

Designed by South Dakota artist Joshua Spies, the 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp (or Migratory Bird Stamp) features a long-tailed duck and decoy. The stamp goes on sale today, June 26.
Nearly 98 cents out of every dollar collected from the sale of Duck Stamps (and Duck Stamp merchandise) goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund [...]