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Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Overview

Since the 1934 creation of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (commonly known as the Duck Stamp), sales of the stamp have generated over $650 million for the conservation wetlands and migratory bird habitat. Each year, Duck Stamp revenues are deposited into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund along with appropriations from the Wetlands Loan Act of 1961, import duties from arms and ammunitions, receipts from refuge admission fees, refuge rights-of-way, and Federal Aid funds. A commission, known as the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC), is authorized by the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 to oversee the expenditure of these funds for the purchase and lease of migratory bird habitat.

Membership

The MBCC is chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and also includes the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, two U.S. senators, and two U.S. Representatives. Current members of the MBCC are as follows:

Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior; Chairman
Honorable Mike Johanns, Secretary of Agriculture
Honorable Steve Johnson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Honorable Blanche Lincoln, Senator from Arkansas
Honorable Thad Cochran, Senator from Mississippi
Honorable John D. Dingell, Representative from Michigan
Honorable Curt Weldon, Representative from Pennsylvania

Role in Conservation

Three or four times each year, the MBCC meets to review proposed habitat purchases or leases. Over the years, the MBCC has authorized the purchase of millions of acres of migratory bird habitat. Your Duck Stamp dollars have played a vital role in the purchase of these lands, providing funding for the protection of more than 5 million acres of wetlands habitat.