Bass Pro Shops to issue Federal Duck Stamps on June 22
Memphis, Tenn., June 18, 2007 - In an unprecedented agreement, the Fish and Wildlife Service has partnered with Bass Pro Shops to unveil this year’s Federal Duck Stamp. The unveiling will occur at 9:00 a.m. (CST) on June 22nd at Bass Pro Shops’ Springfield, Mo., flagship store, followed by similar events at Bass Pro Shops’ 42 other stores across the country. Ducks Unlimited leaders are scheduled to speak at several venues, so anyone interested in waterfowl, conservation or stamp collecting should make plans to participate in this exciting event.
“We’re encouraging everyone interested in habitat conservation to find a Bass Pro Shops in your area and come on out to be one of the first people in the country to buy this year’s Duck Stamp,” said Don Young, Ducks Unlimited’s Executive Vice President. “DU members are a large group of people, we buy a lot of duck stamps, and that means a lot for conservation.”
Ducks Unlimited’s Chief Biologist, Dr. Bruce Batt will attend the premier event at the Springfield store. Batt participated as one of five judges at this year’s Federal Duck Stamp competition in Memphis.
“This year’s stamp shows very interesting and intricate detail of two ring-necked ducks in full breeding plumage,” said Batt. “The ring-necked duck has become more abundant in most breeding areas. Hunters relate to them as incredibly agile fliers. The piercing sound of their wings when the birds are banking sharply is distinctive and often heard long before the birds are seen.”
The winning painting, which will appear on the 2007-2008 Federal Duck Stamp, is an original by Delaware artist Richard Clifton. During the First Day of Sale event, Postal Service representatives will sell required postal stamps and will issue first day cancellations.
“Thanks to the generosity and long-standing support of Bass Pro Shops and Ducks Unlimited, we anticipate a record First Day of Sale because we’re making it easy for people throughout the country to buy both the Federal and Junior Duck Stamps. In the end, increased availability is good for outdoorsmen and women as well as young people… and great for ducks and other wetland dependent wildlife,” said Patricia Fisher, Chief of the Federal Duck Stamp Office.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service produces the Federal Duck Stamp, and requires hunters 16 years old and older to purchase the stamp annually in order to hunt any waterfowl species. Proceeds from the sale of Duck Stamps, which are not licenses but\ rather revenue stamps, help purchase wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Each year, Duck Stamp sales raise about $25 million for conservation. The stamp also serves as an entrance pass to those National Wildlife Refuges with admission fees. The Service also produces each year’s national Junior Duck Stamp. Proceeds from Junior Duck Stamp sales are used to support the Junior Duck Stamp program.
For more information on the Federal and Junior Duck Stamp program and how Duck Stamp funds have benefited a refuge or school children in your state, visit the Duck Stamp home page at
http://duckstamps.fws.gov.
For more information about First Day of Sale events, please contact either Laurie Shaffer or Patricia Fisher at 703-358-2000 or go to http://www.BassPro.com to locate your nearest Bass Pro Shop.
Contact: Laura Houseal
(901) 758-3764
lhouseal@ducks.org
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.