This seems like a great idea, but.....

Ohio has something of this sort: the Wildlife Legacy Stamp. It's a stamp;
it sells for $15 (slightly less than the proposed $20 federal stamp); it is
not at all identified with extractive uses; and all of the money raised
through sales of the Wildlife Legacy Stamp go directly to habitat
acquisition and maintenance by Ohio's Division of Wildlife in places like
Wildlife Areas, rough equivalents to federal Wildlife Refuges.

The result? Well, some birders (and others) do buy Wildlife Legacy Stamps
-- but certainly nowhere near all birders in Ohio. Sale of the stamps does
bring in a few dollars but the emphasis is on "few"; the last numbers I
heard would allow ODW to acquire one or two vacant lots.

In other words, Ohio's history with a program similar to the proposed
Federal Wildlife Stamp does not exactly suggest tremendous success for a
federal program.

This is not an indictment of the proposal, and I commend Bill for pointing
out that an effort along these lines does exist. It's possible that Ohio
birders are uniquely cheap and/or uncaring. Or perhaps Ohio birders are so
pure of heart that they will not support programs administered by the
Division of Wildlife because the Division is beholden to hunters, but they
would support programs administered by the USFWS...which is just as
beholden to hunters. Or maybe a federal stamp program would cause the
heavens to open and a great light to shine upon the land. Or something.

Of course, some Ohio birders do indeed but Wildlife Legacy Stamps (and Duck
Stamps). Those who don't could easily undermine my argument about the
likely success of a federal wildlife stamp program by supporting that state
program that we already have. We'll see.

Bill Heck

On Mon, May 2, 2016 at 9:21 AM, Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> If I may briefly intrude into celebrations of spring arrivals of birds,
> I submit this proposal that might increase their numbers:
> http://wildlifeconservationstamp.org/the-proposal/ .  Whaddya think?
> --Bill Whan
>
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--
Bill Heck
Regional Director - Mississippi Flyway North
National Audubon Society

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