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 Stamp dollars are used to purchase and conserve wetlands and
other duck habitats, supporting not only waterfowl, but also
hundreds of species of migratory birds and other wildlife,
including threatened and endangered species. But in surveys
distributed to a random sample of 5,000 Illinoisans who
purchased duck stamps before the 2002-03 and 2015-16 waterfowl
hunting seasons, fewer than 30 percent of respondents knew that
duck stamp funds are used to purchase wetlands and other duck
habitats.
Seventy percent indicated that they were unaware of how the
funds are used, according to Craig Miller, human dimensions
scientist at the U of I’s Illinois Natural History Survey, a
division of the Prairie Research Institute. A larger percentage
of respondents who hunt annually indicated that they knew how
stamp dollars were used compared with those who hunt less
frequently.
“Most of the wildlife management community assumes that hunters
know where their money is going,” Miller said. “We have shown
that most of them do not.”
Stamps, along with a permit to hunt in a particular state, have
been required for hunting waterfowl for the past 80 years and,
last year, 58,247 stamps were purchased in Illinois.
More than $850 million has been collected
nationwide since the program’s inception, with 98% of the funds
used to protect and enhance more than 6 million acres of
critical habitat for breeding and wintering of waterfowl and
birds.
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“The results show that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and state agencies have a lot of work to do to promote the
conservation benefits this program has provided,” Miller said.
It is also important that the non-hunting public is made aware of
how waterfowl hunters, through their annual purchase of federal duck
stamps, positively affect conservation efforts and enhance wetland
protection, Miller said. Bird watchers, photographers, and other
outdoor enthusiasts often buy stamps to help fund conservation
efforts.
[Lisa A, Sheppardhomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] About the
Prairie Research Institute: The Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign comprises the
Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological
Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water
Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. PRI provides
objective natural and cultural resource expertise, data, research,
service, and solutions for decision making, the stewardship of
Illinois’ resources, and the public good.
www.prairie. illinois.edu
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