In 1934, America created a $1 duck stamp; it has protected 6 million acres

In 1934, the United States introduced a small annual stamp that linked waterfowl hunting directly to wetland conservation. The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 16 March that year, required waterfowl hunters aged 16 and over to buy a stamp. The first one cost $1 and featured mallards, with artwork created by conservationist and cartoonist J.N. Ding Darling. More than nine decades later, the Federal Duck Stamp has raised over $1.3 billion and helped conserve more than 6 million acres of habitat, according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service (US FWS).How the 1934 $1 Duck Stamp began protecting wetlandsThe idea emerged during a difficult period for both people and wildlife. BirdNote reported that the early 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, drought and widespread damage to wetlands.