Aug 25 2010
Are Birders Really Buying 92% of Duck Stamps Sold?
Let me start by answering my own question posed in the title of this post: are birders really buying 92% of duck stamps sold? Almost assuredly not. I hate it when people manipulate factoids to advance an agenda and I don’t want to sink to that level. But I’m willing to take a little heat for a provocative headline, because on Monday I had an experience that really got me wondering, and more than a little intrigued.
That afternoon, I went to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and bought a 2010–2011 Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamp, otherwise known as a Federal Duck Stamp. I’m sure the great majority of readers of this blog know all about duck stamps. They’re somewhat controversial in the birding community, principally because all the money raised by the stamp is, in many senses, “credited” to hunters, though clearly, many of those buying the stamps have no intention of hunting. In fact, some people I have a great deal of respect for as birders, conservationists, and thinkers have argued persuasively that non-hunters shouldn’t buy duck stamps, even though there’s no disputing the money goes to purchase valuable wildlife habitat.
I should also say that other people I have great respect for have been key players in campaigns to get birders and other non-extractive wildlife users to buy duck stamps, so I’ve heard good, impassioned arguments on all sides.
I do buy duck stamps, but I hasten to add that I’d be happier if there were data being collected about which user groups were buying how many stamps, simply so we could all have a clearer idea about who is truly contributing what to habitat purchase. I am emphatically neither anti-hunting nor anti-hunter. I have hunted before and happily would again, though I can’t ever see hunting constituting more than a vanishingly small percentage of how I choose to interact with birds. I consider wildlife watchers, photographers, hunters, anglers, and other groups to be natural allies, not antagonists, even if there are some areas where our opinions tend to diverge. In my view, we all want the same things: healthy populations of wildlife and plenty of places to enjoy them. But better, clearer data would benefit everyone in setting policy and more effectively raising funds for conservation.
So I was surprised and pleased that when I bought the stamp, the volunteer staffing the visitor center asked not only where I was from, but also if I intended to use the stamp for hunting. I said I was from Lewes, Delaware, and no, I did not plan to hunt. She dutifully recorded this in a logbook that was being kept behind the counter.
Well, let me tell you, a little light bulb went off in my head! I asked the volunteer if she could tell me how many stamps she had sold since they went on sale in July and how many had been bought by people identifying themselves as non-hunters. She paged through the logbook and reported, “We’ve sold 114 stamps since July, all but 9 of those to non-hunters.”
Yes, that’s right. Just over 92% were sold to non-hunters. Wow.
Of course, this is nothing like a definitive survey. Not every non-hunter is a birder. And I would guess that hunters would be much better represented at other outlets where stamps can be purchased.
But still, I couldn’t help feel just a little bit proud. And what’s really exciting to me is that this data is being collected. So, if you’re a non-hunter who buys duck stamps, why not do so at a place where they do keep track of how you intend to use your purchase? If they don’t ask, I suggest you politely ask them why they aren’t gathering this information.
Jeff –
Very interesting. Thanks for posting this! I was immediately intrigued by your post because I wondered how any pragmatic conservationist could be opposed to birders buying duck stamps. I clicked through the link and read Mike’s post on the subject. His point is well taken, BUT, even financial support that is unacknowledged is still money that buys habitat, and I don’t see how boycotting the stamps would have any impact on changing the recording and categorization of user groups by USFWS. On the contrary, I think your suggestion that birders DO buy as many stamps as they can afford, and at the same time actively ask the USFWS to record their user group affiliation, is by far the most positive, and one would hope, the most effective, way to change the situation.
Indeed, while I would love to see better birder access at refuges, and other birder-friendly changes within the system, I am FAR more concerned about acquiring acreage for habitat protection than I am about improving birding opportunities. Hunting, in its modern form, is a critical element in any large-scale effort to conserve wildlife, and should be embraced by birders. We are threatened far more by the ever-increasing hordes of stay-inside citizens with no appreciation for the out of doors than we are by competition with hunters. So go buy a duck stamp, and be proud that you did, because you’re not letting politics, no matter how apparently righteous, get in the way of saving habitat! Conservation is first and foremost about the birds, not the user groups.
How about a hunter (me) that buys them every year, and is also an avid? birder, but hasn’t shot a waterfowl in maybe 15 years? If I were in the woods though, and it was in season, and a big fat old mallard came whistling by, I’d be prepared to put him in the pot! How do you count that one?
Craig–
That is an excellent point and one that underlines how hard it is to gather data. More importantly, it underlines that there’s a LOT of crossover between user groups. I know many hunters who have hunted less and watched and/or photographed more as time has gone by. I also know a number of birders who are avid hunters by any measure.
I don’t really have a good solution here, except maybe they should instead of saying, “Hunter/Non-hunter,” ask the purchaser which of the major uses they intend to pursue, check all that apply. That might give an even more interesting result.
Matt–
Thanks for posting your thoughts, amigo. There’s certainly a lot to be said for not losing the forest while arguing over the trees.
I buy mine through the Duck Stamp website every year since they are hard to find locally. They could easily include a couple of optional survey questions on the website and gather some of this data.
I hunt & have always bought mine at the Post Office. Frankly, I never thought about buying one @ a refuge office … never considered it. I don’t know of any other hunters that I’ve ever known to buy them from a refuge office either. Obviously, I’m not speaking for all duckhunters but anyone I’ve known gets them at the Post Office. Remember, not everyone’s got a refuge (let alone refuge office) down the street but everyone’s got a Post Office — we’re more an exception here than the general rule.
Jim–I think another factor that may have accounted for such a lopsided count is that it’s early in the season. When have you typically bought your stamps? I would expect hunters would make their purchases closer to the beginning of hunting season. It’s great birding now–hunting season is still months away.
So, again, I don’t really think non-hunters are buying more stamps than hunters. And I’m well aware of the history here and the great contribution the hunting community has made to habitat protection.
But I think the market is obviously there for non-hunters to participate in this, too. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Erik–yep…for web-based sales, it’s a no-brainer.
Jeff,
Another point, I always end the year with more than 1 duck stamp. In fact, I usually end up with 4 or 5. I know I’m absent minded, but I think I also pick them up at places like Aransas NWR, Forsythe NWR (which I still call Brigantine, and I don’t care what anyone else calls it) as a donation or admission or something, they just turn up along with the one in my hunting license holder?
Jeff-
Quite an interesting and much appreciated post on a very timely subject, one that evokes multitudes of opinions, passions and albeit, controversy, especially amongst non-consumptive users. The gathering of information is paramount as we move forward concerning the loss of the biggest demographic, hunters, of previous purchasers and move into what will be the future of Duck Stamp buyers. As I see it, the future contributors to the land acquisition fund will not be hunters but appreciators of nature.
To be honest and forthright, I should admit that I am not a hunter, never have been nor will I ever be, but that admission does not pass judgement upon the legions that do and will continue to hunt, just a personal choice.
My dear birding/naturalist mentor, George Geise, who was the gentleman of gentlemen hunters and fishermen, taught me the word, conservation, back in 1976. Although he knew I would never carry a gun, we stomped through briar thickets ten feet high in PA Game Lands in search of the illusive Ruffed Grouse, his favorite game bird, his passion, all the while talking about the trees, the plants, the river and why and how they have been preserved for our use. For the two hours up, the ten hours in the field and the two hour ride back home, he brought forth foreign terms to me; habitat, game management, preservation, conservation, invasive species, overpopulation of species and so on. He had lived and understood the things that I didn’t, a mentor. After returning from one foray into the field, he asked me to come into his office and proudly showed me a framed print with a stamp centered just under the painting and asked if I knew what it was, I responded with “No, George, looks like a stamp and a duck painting to me.” He hung the print back up and said, “Bill, that’s a Duck Stamp, it buys land for all those birds you love so much, you need to get yourself one……..every year.”
I must admit it took a few years for me to completely understand and comprehend how a Duck Stamp could buy land for the birds I loved, but on one magical Fall day, George and I went together for the first time to Bombay Hook NWR. We witnessed the spectacle that only a NWR can produce. On the way out, we stopped at the Nature Center and he bought me my first Duck Stamp and for the very first time, I felt like I was a part of all this magic that had so consumed me.
Although I effort to stay outside the conversations of controversy that spin themselves around Duck Stamps, I do know that I buy more than one stamp each year and I know exactly why I have chosen to do so. I also effort to share the ‘why’ more than the ‘do’ to others. Then they can, in turn, make their educated choice.
Bill Stewart
This is a very interesting post, Jeff, and the comments are equally fascinating. Gosh, you learn so much when you just listen. Fancy that.
Thoughtful post, Jeff!
Two quick comments:
1. I think that Bombay Hook may sell a high percentage of Stamps to non-hunters because the NWR charges for entry to their wonderful auto-tour route. A valid/current Stamp actually serves as a “free pass” to the refuge route, making it a real bargain for folks who make multiple visits to the refuge.
2. It’s officially been called the ‘Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp” since 1977, but the “Duck Stamp” name still sticks. I love ducks/waterfowl, but I continue to feel that the “Duck Stamp” name is a self-inflicted wound. That’s why I always try to use the official name. I think it explains the source and purpose of the Stamp.
Jeff, this is a terrific post. You really burst the bubble of my assumptions on some points, particularly by pointing out that some (though clearly not all) vendors attempt to track who is buying the stamps. The comments thread has been equally illuminating.
Let me hold the line and maintain that, despite persuasive reasons to the contrary, birders and other non-extractive wildlife watchers should abstain from buying the Duck Stamp (yes, Paul, your point is well-taken about the name, but a rose by any other name would still raise money for waterfowl habitat to the exclusion of other avian conservation priorities.)
This is not a gripe with hunters. You guys don’t need any help when it comes to organizing and accomplishing your priorities on a national level. Sure, we all have common cause and no one can argue that habitat protection doesn’t benefit all of us nature lovers. Some of my favorite NWRs like Montezuma get Duck Stamp money.
Seeking to support the priorities, agenda, and national profile of one group is not the same as trying to tear another group down. The priorities of birders and hunters do not always overlap. Indeed, at times, we can be at odds. Just check out the USFWS site on Your Duck Stamp Dollars at Work (http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/Conservation/conservation.htm) to see which refuges are and are not supported. As far as I know, birders favor conservation of shorelines, prairies, and other critical habitats that lack importance to the hunting community. A true Wildlife or Bird Stamp that would allocate conservation dollars more broadly throughout the NWR system is a goal worth pursuing, one that will require a fair amount of politicking and organizing to accomplish.
Let me stop hijacking your thread, Jeff, and simply thank you for presenting the complexity of this issue, as well as providing a forum for discussion and debate!
Great observations. As with many subjects, we see with the blinders and filters of our passions and experience. Listserves pose questionnaires to seek positions on issues and straw polls on leanings. But it is the design of the questionnaire which is key, and when well-designed, it may force our thinking beyond the confines of our predilections and preconceptions – the realm outside the box.
The “hunter/non-hunter” filter is really limiting and it would be interesting to know just what the BBH duck stamp choices are – probably just that… hunting or other! I suspect the highest percentages of Duck Stamp sales nationally are split pretty evenly between what USFWS calls Wildlife Watchers and a segment they are pretty much unaware of – Stamp Collectors – with hunters coming in a distant third, with significant crossover sales (I fit all ofthe categories mentioned, but only ever was successful with a few Canada Geese along Canary Creek in the ’80s. I also introduced a lot of duck hunters to birding during slow periods in the blinds.) BTW – dove and resident Canada Goose opens Sept. 1st (teal on the 11th)!
I also know a few folks who purchase duck stamps as works of art, and others who buy them as a financial investment! Under whatever motivatin, they continue to be a great investment in habitat!
Bill–that’s a great story about you and your mentor, George. It’s amazing how influential someone who takes a little time and care with a beginner can be. And you’ve carried on and shared that same ethic with so many others through the seemingly endless array of projects you’ve successfully tackled and through simply sharing your enthusiasm in the field. Here’s to you, and to Mr. Geise!
BirdGalAlcatraz–yep, I do like to talk, for sure, but listening is where I really learn, of course. I’ve already learned a lot from the comments on this post.
Paul–thank you. I agree that Bombay Hook is very likely an anomaly. And your point about the name is quite valid, but, boy, Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamp is sure a big ol’ bureaucratic-sounding mouthful, isn’t it? Migratory Bird Stamp might be OK, but what about all the folks who are into things besides migratory birds? Do you think there’s any possibility of coming up with a catchier, more accurate name?
Mike–if that’s hijacking, sign me up for the next flight! Great points, especially about biodiversity vs. game species and how building up one group doesn’t have to imply tearing down another.
I will take issue, though, with your assertion about shorelines and prairies, “[lacking] importance to the hunting community.” Really? Seems like the prairies are one of the biggest laboratories of waterfowl management, for starters. And many of our shorelines around here are studded with duck blinds.
Anyhow, I still take your points. And I really appreciate all you do to advance the causes of birding and conservation.
Bob–you’re the trifecta, man! A birder/hunter/stamp collector! The Fish and Wildlife Service should have you cloned. And I agree about how limiting a dichotomous view of things can be, a point others have made, too. We really need to track these things in a way that makes more room for the complicated, sometimes conflicting nature of real people.
Interesting and provocative yes.
I have always been baffled why birders refuse to buy a duck stamp. I’ve heard the reasons–it’s for hunters, the money goes to buy places for people to hunt and they are often closed to birders, I shouldn’t have to buy an access pass via the stamp when we are already taxed. I’m sure there are other reasons I’m not aware of.
On the plus side I can tell you that having worked the last 28 years for the Fish and Wildlife Service – much of it in the National Wildlife Refuge System that Duck Stamps have been a tremendously valuable tool. In the Southeast Region where I work we get about 5-7 million dollars a year almost all of which goes to buying habitat. One of our major projects that receives Duck Stamp money is Cache River NWR in Arkansas–about two thirds of that refuge has been purchased with Duck Stamp money. It’s a great duck refuge and heavily used during the waterfowl season but it is also a spectacular birding location. There are more woodpeckers on Cache and the adjacent White River NWR than anywhere I have ever been and I have birded in all 50 states. I still hope there is an Ivory-bill somewhere but that’s for another blog. For most of the year large portions of these refuges are open to the public.
I am a birder and an infrequent hunter-so see both sides. The purchase of a stamp by some may give them pause but I know from first hand experience that the land that is protected through this program benefits us all and the birds and has made a great difference in protecting and restoring habitat for wildlife. As a birder I’m also very proud of the numbe rof birders that are buying stamps-the money spent is being put to good use.
Jeff, I’m glad you called me on my imprecise expression of the point I was trying to get across. Of course shorelines, grasslands, and the like are of ecological and strategic importance to waterfowl and the people who love them (“love” can be expressed in many ways.) But if you look at the USFWS website to see which refuges get Duck Stamp money — use CA as an example — you’ll find a preponderance of wetlands amidst a much broader array of habitats.
OK, now I know where I get all those duck stamps. Jon Andrew made me think and I went back and reread your original premise and the reason for the 92% number. I would suspect that if you did a survey at a Postal facility you would find 92% of those are sold to hunters. That’s where I always bought mine. Not having a NWR near me, buying one there isn’t an option before hunting season. That would make me suspect that if you are a birder, or live near a refuge, you buy your stamps there. If you live anywhere else in the country, you buy them at the post office. I would guess the majority are sold to hunters, and a survey at a NWR would not really be valid as you mentioned. And I’m not the least bit disappointed to find that I didn’t have to buy a new one every time I visited the refuge, I didn’t realize they were good for the season. I just went in and plunked down my money each time I visited. And now I wonder why the question is raised? Are birders trying to exclude hunters from refuges?
Craig–
Thanks for keeping the conversation going. To tackle your last question first, I’m sure that there are some birders out there, somewhere the would like to, “exclude hunters from refuges.” But I don’t know any, and I know lots and lots of birders. Any group of people is going to have a fringe element and unfortunately, we often focus too much on the atypical case, ignoring the vast majority in the middle. As I said before, I’m of the belief that the interests of hunters, anglers, and all sorts of wildlife enthusiasts overlap very, very broadly. I want to see us ALL get more respect and have more of a voice, because I believe the birds, wildlife and habitats we all enjoy will be the ultimate beneficiary.
I agree with the point about post offices first raised by Jim Hall and seconded by you. There are also sporting goods stores and other venues where hunters are likely to be very well represented. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of those places sold nearly 100% of their stamps to waterfowlers.
What I really want to see birders, butterfliers, dragonfly enthusiasts, herp fans, photographers—the whole multitude of “non-extractive” users—is to find our voices the way hunters have found theirs and to get a seat at the table when decisions are made.
And remember, many of us enjoy some combination of hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, and photography. It is a new era, wildlife face new threats, and we need new, creative ideas and new coalitions if we’re to continue to enjoy and pass on our rich wildlife heritage. In my book, anyone who can lend a hand is welcome.
And glad you found out about the stamp being good for the season! Thanks again for commenting.
Jon–
Wonderful stuff! I would love to see more people who are truly ambidextrous when it comes to hunting and wildlife watching (and let’s face it, what good hunter isn’t also a wildlife watcher? You have to be!) make themselves known so that we could break down some of the misunderstandings that do crop up and at times blunt our effectiveness in advocating for habitat preservation.
I was lucky enough to spend two whole weeks in December, 2005 in the Cache and White River refuges as part of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker search team, which, as you say, is the subject for another blog. I was so impressed with how strong the hunting tradition was there. And when I told some of my duck hunter buddies that I was going there or that I’d been, they got this dreamy, far-away look in their eyes; to them, that part of Arkansas is an earthly paradise. And it is to me, too. I’d just like to get back there in a warmer season!
Finally, when my wife, Liz, saw that Jon Andrew had commented she got all excited. She has fond memories of you and your work at Santa Ana NWR in south Texas. At that point, she was Liz Bennett from Harlingen. I actually worked at Santa Ana, interpreting from the tram, in the winter of 1988-89, but that must have been before you got there. I think we must have worked with some of the same good folks, though: Marty Bray, Perry Grissom, Anne Johnson, and others. In any event, thanks so much for reading and contributing!
Interesting string. Thanks to Paul for alerting me to it. And I especially appreciate the civility!
Jon Andrew and others have done a good job of offering counterpoints to Mike’s assertion that non-hunting birders should abstain from purchasing duck stamps. What I wanted to add to the discussion was related to Mike’s point about prairies lacking importance to the hunting community. I work for Ducks Unlimited, a waterfowl habitat conservation organization whose membership is composed mostly (but certainly not exclusively!) of hunters. One of our organization’s absolutely highest priorities is the protection of native prairie in the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains. Based on the last data that we could obtain from the Farm Services Agency (before they stopped releasing that data), approximately 50,000 acres of native prairie was being broken and converted to cropland anually. These prairies are the best, most important remaining nesting habitat on the continent for mallards, northern pintails, gadwall, canvasback, blue-winged teal and other duck species. You all know how important those same prairies are for dickcissels and a whole host of other non-hunted species, so I don’t need to fill in that portion of the equation.
Interestingly, DU members (again, mostly hunters) have come to understand the importance of native prairie and actively support its conservation with their tax-deductible (and other) contributions to DU. They contribute literally tens of millions of philanthropic dollars per year to conserve waterfowl habitat, with native prairie being at the top of the list (and those contributions are above and beyond the support they provide through Ducks Stamps, license purchases, Pittman-Robertson tax contributions, income taxes like everyone else, etc., etc.).
Ducks Unlimited launched a campaign initiative dubbed “Rescue the Duck Factory” in September 2008. To date, the accomplishments can be summarized as including a total of over 130,000 acres secured under the banner of Rescue the Duck Factory at a cost of $27,493,361. Sources of funding included DU ($5,729,506; these are [philanthropic dollars contributed by DU supporters out of their own checkbooks), NAWCA ($4,802,882), Duck Stamp funds ($15,720,973), and the Land and Water Conservation Fund ($1,240,000). Please especially note the $15.7 million of Duck Stamp funds (sorry Paul, but it’s just so much easier to type than the full name) that went to protect the native prairie that is the focus of this initiative.
So, Mike, our priorities are not as divergent as you might think. My final point would be to offer that the current backlog of landowners who are offering easements has 647 names on it, and includes 284,600 acres with a corresponding funding need of ~$107 million. Thus, given the diversity of funding sources noted above, one could contribute to addressing that need and opportunity to support protection of native prairie through philanthropic giving, purchase of Duck Stamps, advocacy among policy-makers for NAWCA and LWCF funding, among many others.
P.S. If you know any billionaire birders who might care fervently about grassland birds, please pass this on…..
The very idea that birders should avoid buying the Duck Stamp would be an alien concept in Ohio and nearby areas of the upper midwest, where the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) has been very actively promoting the stamp to birders for the last few years. BSBO does not merely make it available for sale through their gift shop and website, they actively blast the information out their members and other birders, over and over. There is no question about where the Observatory stands on this issue.
Here’s a page from their website promoting both the Duck Stamp and the Ohio state Wildlife Legacy Stamp:
http://www.bsbobird.org/conservation_stamps.htm
What’s more, at their upcoming annual banquet, BSBO is even doing a prize drawing that’s available only to people who show up with (or buy) both the Duck Stamp and the state Legacy Stamp:
http://www.bsbo.org/events/annual_banquet_celebration.htm
Some readers may not be aware of this, but the observatory makes no profit on the sales of the Duck Stamp. It’s not like selling a t-shirt or a book and making money from the sale. No, BSBO is promoting and selling the Stamp simply because it’s the right thing to do for bird conservation. Our good friend Paul Baicich started actively pushing the Stamp to the birding community several years ago, and Black Swamp Bird Observatory is totally on board with the wisdom of this approach. We hope that other birders will come around to the same view, because bird habitats will benefit.
- Kenn Kaufman
Thank you all for contributing! I’m so glad that an array of voices, including some new to the blogosphere, are being heard here.
Scott–that’s great information and a great call to action. I’ve always been so impressed with the DU work that I’ve seen in Nebraska and other prairie states. Glad to hear it’s still going strong.
Kenn–I’m so envious of that Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp program. I think it makes a great pair with the (sorry, Paul) Duck Stamp. I’ve still got the snazzy Baltimore Oriole stamp I bought at BSBO in May, and I look forward to buying next year’s stamp, too. Am I remembering correctly that it will feature a dragonfly?
BSBO is certainly getting a lot of well-deserved acclaim for interesting and creative initiatives. Thanks for sharing how you’re supporting two worthy conservation stamps.
Because of Paul B’s work and me hearing about on the birdchick’s blog the Georgia Ornithological Society has been selling Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation (aka Duck) stamps since 2007. We encase them in the trusty holder and have also had raffles at our meetings open to those displaying or buying a duck stamp. I mean, it’s a no-brainer. Of the $15 $14.70 goes directly to refuge lease/purchase. Regardless of birder access, that land produces birds plain and simple. That land doesn’t allow cats to turn it into a habitat sink. That land will not be sold off for development (at least we hope it will never be sold off). And you’d be hard pressed to find a birder that hasn’t seen at least 1 life bird on a refuge (but most likely it’s a lot more than 1).
http://www.gos.org/duckstamp/duckstamp.htm
Has anyone seen these:
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/species/endangered_species/birder_band.htm
More bling for your bino strap. This bling might help your lost bins get back to you.
While a dying breed, you’d be surprised how many stamp collectors buy Duck Stamps. The older ones are worth quite a lot and even the newer ones hold their value.
[...] non-hunting birders, photographers, stamp collectors and conservationists. As a non-hunter, if you buy your Duck Stamp at an individual refuge, that refuge may mark you in their book as hunter or non-hunter. But if you buy your Duck Stamp [...]