Putting a stamp on duck season

Who knew such a little thing could make such a big difference?

Well, Ding did.

Who would have imagined a rock-ribbed Republican would suspend a lucrative career to work for “that man,” the liberal Franklin D. Roosevelt, for just one dollar a year?

Ding did.

Who envisioned stochastic federal wildlife refuges could function as an organized system for the benefit of migratory birds. Ah, you guessed, Ding!

But this story is really about my effort for Blue-winged teal during Iowa’s early duck season.

I played my part well. I woke well before dawn. Laden with gear, I hiked by headlamp over 30 minutes to my secret spot near the Wapsi. Odd-numbered decoys were floated, I hid near the water’s edge and my taciturn gun was loaded with steel shot.

Sunrise and a flight of teal were all that was needed to complete the day. I waited.

I didn’t have to wait long to be amazed in the fancy reading room of Cowles Library at Drake University. On easels were the five original paintings from Iowa native Maynard Reece that won the only art contest sponsored by the U.S. government — the Duck Stamp Contest. Reece was so successful he caused a rule change forcing a winner to sit out of competition for a cycle.

The Duck Stamp Contest was making a rare appearance away from its usual Virginia home. A pair of Iowa influences won Drake the privilege to host the judging. Along with artists and philatelists, I felt this was a can’t miss event.

Maynard Reece was one pull. The other pull was the father of the duck stamp himself, the late Jay N. “Ding” Darling. The Jay N. Darling Legacy Center is housed at the university.

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Darling was raised in Sioux City and had a triumphant career as a twice honored Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist with the Des Moines Register. His work focused on critiquing society and politics. However his legend stemmed from his passion for the outdoors, especially that time afield with gun or rod.

As consumptive hunting or fishing may seem at a distance, Darling was intimately aware of the imperative for hunters and anglers to support sustainable harvests, in particular, protection for the nurseries from which the next generation’s flight from the north, or run up the river came.

For the sake of wildlife, Darling took leave from the Register and resettled at the helm of the predecessor to the Fish and Wildlife Service. In Washington he accomplished two goals. One, he replanned the various refuges to act as stepping stones for migratory birds. Two, he secured permanent funding to support and expand the refuge system.

In the depth of the depression federal dollars were a bitterly contested commodity. Any New Deal dollars were subject to change, or disappear after an election. So Darling borrowed an old idea — a mandatory stamp. Instead of causing a riot in Boston Harbor, Darling invented the most effective and cherished wildlife funding program of all time.

The 73rd Congress passed, and FDR signed on March 16, 1934 the Migratory Bird and Conservation Stamp Act.

With the stroke of a pen, every duck hunter was required to purchase a one-dollar stamp to affix to a state hunting license. Today the stamps cost $25.

The genius of the stamp was twofold. First, the Act required the funds raised from stamp sales be invested into the refuge system. It’s illegal to divert the funds to other purposes or programs.

The second was the application of wildlife art on the stamp. This fueled a secondary motivation to create the art or own the miniature as a collectible. Darling’s personal handiwork graced the first stamp.

Five judges pared the field of 199 entries this year to 88, and then to almost 25 for the final round. Culled entries were displayed in a special room. A couple seemed elementary, two eschewed realism for artistic license — I really liked them. There were panels full of enough fine art that I wasn’t envious of the judges’ task.

I watched Saturday morning as Chuck Black of Montana won the contest with a pair of pintails resting on the water. They will make a handsome stamp, buy my vote was for the Harlequin ducks.

My duck stamp this year features a trio of swans a wing. My watch at the water’s edge reached its end. That morning I heard the slap of a beaver’s tail. I saw a deer come to drink. Birds such as the northern waterthrush, tufted titmouse and downy woodpecker were noted. A volley in the distance indicated ducks were near. Alas, near wasn’t here.

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I waddled back to the car. On my way I met two lads walking in for a squirrel hunt, then a man and retriever on the way for water training.

When the cold north winds blow, I’ll be totting my duck stamp again to the water’s edge. I’ll let the satisfaction of the duck stamp’s well spent money give me a boost of warmth in the frigid water.

If helping nature gives you a warm feeling, then be sure to buy your stamp to carry you through the coming winter.

Looking up, looking ahead, and keeping my pencil sharp.

John Lawrence Hanson, Ed.D., of Marion, teaches U.S. history with an emphasis on environmental issues at Linn-Mar High School and is past president of the Linn County Conservation Board.