Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now proposing a permanent rule change to the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Contest (known as the Duck Stamp) that would make the theme “Celebrating Our Waterfowl Hunting Heritage” and the mandatory inclusion of an appropriate hunting element permanent, beginning with the 2020 Contest.

The Brookline Bird Club has long asked birders to support the National Wildlife Refuge System through their purchase of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Contest (known as the Duck Stamp).

We urge each of you to comment.  The Brookline Bird Club opposes this proposal.

The comment period ends March 16.

We believe that increasing sales of the Stamp and strengthening the Duck Stamp program should be the top objectives when considering any change.  This proposed change discourages sales to new purchasers outside the hunting community.  Fewer sales lead to less land preservation and protection of habitat. The Duck Stamp program needs to be strengthened and to focus on creating common ground for support for the future of American wildlife.

From Parker River to Monomoy to Silvio O. Conte, birders value the National Wildlife Refuges in Massachusetts.  In Massachusetts alone, 15,290 acres have been acquired through MBCF funds, including 97.8 percent of Monomoy NWR and 97.7 percent of Parker River NWR (https://www.fws.gov/refuges/realty/pdf/MBCFAcres2015.pdf). Through club trips and individual visits, we explore these lands year after year.  We volunteer and serve on the boards of local Friends groups.  These lands are central to our birding experiences and are treasured by our community.

Sales of the Stamp have generated more than a billion dollars for conservation since 1934. For every dollar you spend on Stamps, ninety-eight cents goes directly to protecting vital wetland habitat as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Your Stamp will also provide admission to refuges charging entrance fees, such as Parker River. With our large membership, purchasing a $25 Stamp can make a significant contribution to the continued protection of these important habitats.

For more information, go to www.friendsofthestamp.org

For a more detailed Action Alert, click here.

In order to comment, go to https://tinyurl.com/duck-stamp-rules-change.

We urge you to comment on this proposed change.

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  • Mt. Greylock

    Mount Greylock Visitors Center 30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough, MA, United States

    Greylock and October Mountain trips may be swapped for best weather on the Greylock day. If wet weather predicted for the Berkshires, contact the leader in advance for potential change. This will be an exciting trip with the occasional surprise. Mourning Warbler has always been a specialty of this trip. Enjoy the warblers and other

  • October Mountain

    Lenox - October Mountain 380 New Lenox Rd, Lenox, MA, United States

    Greylock and October Mountain trips may be swapped for best weather on the Greylock day. Contact the leader in advance. Multiple habitats make this trip more diversified than the prior day’s Mount Greylock trip, as we begin along the Housatonic River WMA and make our way over October Mountain. Cosponsored by the South Shore Bird

  • Breeding Bird Survey, Plymouth Airport

    Plymouth Airport 246 S Meadow Rd, Plymouth, MA, United States

    Limited participation. 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. We will be allowed to survey the entire airport grounds before the airport opens to flights to confirm as many breeding species we can. This special habitat has Upland Sandpiper, American Kestrels, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Grasshopper Sparrows, all species of special concern. Also includes pine barrens specialists like Prairie

  • New Member Walk at Fresh Pond, Cambridge

    Cambridge - Fresh Pond - TD Bank 235 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA, United States

    This walk is intended for new members! Get to know your fellow club members. Bring a friend if you like. An easy 2-mile walk through pondside meadows and forest paths at Fresh Pond. We'll see summer residents including breeding birds. We will meet in the parking lot of the TD Bank at Fresh Pond Circle,

  • Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

    Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United States

    Cosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for resident species including Indigo Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Blue-headed Vireo, Wild Turkey, American Kestrel, and a variety of warblers. Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some steep sections. Prepare for ticks. We will bird at the

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