The Federal Duck Stamp is a U.S. program to generate revenue to protect wetlands. In 1934, the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, popularly known as the "Duck Stamp Act," was passed by Congress. The Act requires the purchase of a stamp by waterfowl hunters. Revenue generated by the stamp is used to acquire important wetlands. Since its inception, the program has resulted in the protection of approximately 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²) of waterfowl habitat.

The first duck stamp was designed by artist, editorial cartoonist, and conservationist Jay Norwood Darling, who was also appointed Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey (later expanded into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) that same year by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In the movie Fargo, the police chief's husband was an artist who was competing to have his artwork featured on the next Duck Stamp.

See Also: Stamp Collecting

Much of this information copied from USFWS web site.