Duck Stamps Just Paid for 21,000 Acres of New Wildlife Habitat

$54 Million Buys Land at Four Refuges

Every time a hunter buys a $25 Federal Duck Stamp, most of that money goes straight to protecting wetlands.

On September 18, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced where $54 million of that funding is headed: four national wildlife refuges in Utah, Tennessee, and Louisiana will add 21,737 acres of new habitat.

The program behind this purchase has been running since 1934, and the story of how it started involves a president, a cartoonist, and a crisis that was killing millions of birds.

Upper Ouachita Gets $35 Million

The biggest chunk of the $54 million is going to Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge in northern Louisiana. The refuge will receive $35.2 million to buy 17,023 acres of bottomland hardwood forest along the Ouachita River.

The land floods heavily between January and June each year, creating ideal habitat for wintering ducks, geese, and other waterfowl.

The refuge also supports Louisiana black bears, bald eagles, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Red River Refuge Adds 3,285 Acres

Louisiana’s Red River National Wildlife Refuge is getting the second-largest purchase at $14. 6 million for 3,285 acres.

The refuge stretches 120 miles along the Red River from Colfax to the Arkansas state line. Once complete, it will cover 50,000 acres of restored bottomland hardwoods and cypress swamps.

The area provides critical stopover habitat for more than 200 species of migratory songbirds and shorebirds moving through the region.

Bear River Expands Near Great Salt Lake

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah will add 934 acres with $2. 6 million in funding.

The refuge sits where the Bear River flows into the Great Salt Lake, creating the largest freshwater wetland in the Intermountain West. More than 250 bird species use the refuge, and 67 species nest there.

Tundra swans arrive by the tens of thousands each spring and fall. The new land will expand habitat along the edges of both the Pacific and Central Flyways.

Lower Hatchie Grows by 495 Acres

Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge in western Tennessee receives $1. 8 million for 495 acres near the confluence of the Hatchie and Mississippi Rivers.

The Hatchie is the longest naturally meandering river left in the lower Mississippi Valley, never straightened or dammed like most tributaries.

The refuge protects bottomland hardwoods, marshes, and agricultural fields that support wintering waterfowl, bald eagles, and wild turkeys.

The Funding Comes From Duck Stamps

All $54 million came from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is built almost entirely through Federal Duck Stamp sales.

The stamps cost $25, and 98 cents of every dollar goes directly to buying or leasing wetland habitat. Waterfowl hunters 16 and older must purchase one each year to hunt legally.

The stamps are valid from July 1 through June 30 and also work as free entry passes to any national wildlife refuge that charges admission.

Roosevelt Signed the Program Into Law

The Duck Stamp program started in 1934 during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Wetlands were disappearing fast, and waterfowl populations had crashed from overhunting and habitat loss.

On March 16, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, requiring all waterfowl hunters to buy an annual stamp. The first stamp cost $1.

The price gradually increased over the decades, reaching $25 in 2015.

A Cartoonist Designed the First Stamp

J. N. “Ding” Darling was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist who used his platform to push for wildlife conservation.

Roosevelt appointed him to lead the Bureau of Biological Survey, the agency that became the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Darling championed the Duck Stamp idea and drew the first stamp himself, showing two mallards landing on a marsh.

He later founded the National Wildlife Federation and helped establish the framework for today’s refuge system.

The Program Has Raised $1.3 Billion

Since 1934, Duck Stamp sales have generated more than $1. 3 billion for conservation.

That money has protected over 6 million acres of wetlands across the country, much of it within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The program now supports more than 560 refuges where hunters, birdwatchers, and photographers can access protected land. About 1.5 million stamps sell each year, and the 2025-2026 stamp features a painting of spectacled eiders by South Dakota artist Adam Grimm.

Non-Hunters Can Buy Stamps Too

You do not have to hunt to buy a Federal Duck Stamp. Birdwatchers, photographers, and conservationists purchase them to support habitat protection.

A current stamp gets you free entry to any refuge that charges a fee.

You can buy physical stamps at post offices, sporting goods stores, and many refuges, or purchase a digital E-Stamp online for $29 that works immediately on your phone.

About a quarter of all stamps sold each year go to people who never fire a shot.

More Public Land Opens for Recreation

The 21,737 acres approved in September will expand public access at all four refuges. Visitors can hunt waterfowl, deer, and turkey during designated seasons.

Fishing is available year-round at most locations. The refuges also offer hiking trails, wildlife observation, and photography opportunities.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the refuges demonstrate the government’s commitment to maintaining access for hunting, fishing, and birdwatching traditions that Americans have enjoyed for generations.

Hunters Keep Funding Their Own Future

The Duck Stamp program works because hunters agreed to tax themselves to protect the places they hunt. That model has held for 91 years.

The four refuges receiving funding this year will manage the new acreage for waterfowl habitat while keeping it open to the public. Every stamp sold adds to the fund.

Every acre protected means more wetlands filtering water, more birds nesting and feeding, and more places where anyone can walk, paddle, or sit quietly and watch the sky fill with wings.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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