When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.
当探险家们第一次踏上北美洲大陆时，天空和大地上到处都是各种各样的野生动物，美洲土著人智慧地保护了这些宝贵的自然资源。然而仅仅几十年，探险家和定居者们就夺走了这些资源中的大部分。数百万只水鸟在市场猎人和一些野心勃勃的运动员手中被杀。上百万英亩，用于喂养和容纳不断增加的水禽种群的湿地干涸，水禽栖息地大大减少。

In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, Iowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
1934年，随着《候鸟狩猎邮票法案》的通过，越来越受到关注的国家采取了坚定的行动，制止对候鸟水禽以及对它们的生存至关重要的湿地的破坏。根据该法案，所有16岁及以上的水禽猎手每年都必须购买并携带联邦鸭票。第一张联邦鸭票是由J.N.“丁”达林设计的，他是爱荷华州得梅因的一位政治漫画家，当时被富兰克林·罗斯福总统任命为生物调查局局长。猎人愿意购买鸭票，可以确保我们自然资源的生存。

About 98 percent of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
每一张鸭票的98%直接进入候鸟保护基金，用于购买湿地和野生动物栖息地，纳入国家野生动物保护区系统——确保这片土地得到保护，提供给子孙后代。自1934年以来，已有超过5亿美元的资金投入该基金，用于购买超过500万英亩的栖息地。难怪联邦鸭票计划被称为有史以来最成功的保护计划之一。