New Jersey Foolishly Discontinues Duck Stamp
Just another example of NJ’s Fish & Game Departments taking direction from Non/Anti-Hunters who have no intentions of preserving wildlife or the environment. – AmmoLand.com
Trenton, NJ –-(AmmoLand.com)- The state Division of Fish and Wildlife has discontinued the sale of paper waterfowl stamps and prints, a decision that makes former state Division of Fish and Game Director George Howard is just a little melancholy.
Howard, currently the conservation director for the state Federation of Sportsmens Clubs, said selling the beautiful paper stamps and prints helped the division preserve a lot of waterfowl habitat during the past quarter century.
“I own quite a few myself,” said Howard. “It was a very good program.”
The stamps and artwork were hugely popular for many years but recently sales declined. This year, waterfowl hunters are required to buy “certifications” instead of paper stamps. The certifications, available from hunting license agents or on the division’s website, cost the same as did the duck stamps: $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents. “The artwork and the paper stamp were discontinued as cost saving measures,” explained the division in a statement announcing the change.
The division is still selling prints of the 2008 duck stamp featuring canvasback ducks painted by Rob Leslie Duck stamps and collectible prints depicted ducks, hunting dogs and other waterfowl-related images painted by the nation’s best outdoors artists. They were first sold in New Jersey in 1984 and their sales combined raised about $4.2 million. The money was used to preserve more than 13,000 acres of prime waterfowl habitat, according to the division.
Howard noted that money from the sale of the waterfowl certifications will still be earmarked for habitat preservation. As for the future value of the collector prints, Howard is optimistic but uncertain.
“They still have value,” he said, noting that one print of particular interest depicts an American brant but has “brant” mistakenly spelled “brandt.”
For more information on the state waterfowl stamps, including how to purchase the final collector stamps and prints, visit njfishandwildlife.com/prod_stamps.htm. Orders must be postmarked by December 31, 2009.
Editors note: And why does our headline read “foolishly?” Because New Jersey has chosen to throw away the collector dollar. Each duck stamp collector who purchased a set of New Jersey stamps contributed an additional $15 to the waterfowl fund that the state will now not receive. Collectors who also collect hunter-type stamps doubled that number, contributing $30 to the fund without ever setting foot in a marsh.
If you wish to comment to the state, you can send an email to: njfishandwildlife@dep.state.nj.us.
About:
National Duck Stamp Collectors Society: The primary purpose of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society (NDSCS) is to promote and encourage the collecting and study of migratory waterfowl hunting and conservation stamps. The NDSCS is the only stamp collecting society devoted exclusively to duck stamps