The 2011-12 federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp goes on sale this Friday, June 24. The stamp is commonly known as the duck stamp, but it has importance to hundreds of species of birds, most of which are not hunted.

Duck Stamps has helped fund purchase of over 5 million acres of natural landscape for National Wildlife Refuges. This habitat supports ducks, songbird, eagles, Osprey, owls, hawks, mammals, turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, butterflies, and more. Since the stamp was introduced in 1934, Minnesota has always been among the top three states in number of stamps purchased. We've often led the nation. Let's do it again. Everybody buy a stamp.

To date, over $700 million has been raised and used to protect 5.3 million acres of habitat for wildlife to be enjoyed people like you and me, and our children and grandchildren.

The Stamp costs only $15 and it's easy to purchase – nearly all Post Offices carry them. Is your money well used? Fully 98 cents out of every dollar ($14.70) goes directly to acquire land for the refuge system.

Wetlands and grasslands in smaller units called Wildlife Production Areas also are purchased with stamp money, and serve the same important conservation function. Does that benefit Minnesota birders? Stamp money has funded 99.8% of all WPAs in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. That's thousands and thousand of acres of habitat for grassland and wetland songbirds.

This $15 purchase is perhaps the single simplest thing we can do to support wetland and grassland conservation for birds and wildlife in general. Even so, the duck stamp is probably the best-kept secret in all of bird conservation. We all should buy one. And then find some way of displaying the stamp so others will know that you care about long-term protection of wildlife, particularly birds. (I stick my duck stamps to the cover of my Sibley bird guide, where it can be seen when I'm using the book. I'm certain David Sibley doesn't mind.)