The Duck Stamp Story: Art-Conservation-History, which will be published in March 2000 (Krause Publications), is the most comprehensive, exciting, beautifully illustrated, up-to-date book ever written on the Federal Duck Stamp Program (please visit www.duckstampstory.com for information on the book, reviews, images, and ordering information). The Duck Stamp Program is one of the most successful conservation efforts in the world. Since 1934, sales of federal duck stamps have netted over five hundred million dollars, which has enabled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase over five million acres of National Wildlife Refuge land. Those acres, in turn, provide critical habitat for all variety of bird species, not just migratory waterfowl. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be given to the USFWS to acquire additional habitat in our nation's refuge system.

Conservationists, bird-watchers, stamp collectors, art enthusiasts, and wildlife artists will all greatly enjoy The Duck Stamp Story. The first section of the book covers the conservation history that led to the creation and growth of the Federal Duck Stamp Program. This section not only details the growth of the refuge system, but it also includes information on state, local, tribal, private, and international duck stamp programs, as well as the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program. The second section of the book tells you everything you want to know about duck stamp collecting and includes information on the rarest "ducks" as well as profiles of three of the greatest duck stamp collectors. The third section of the book covers the federal duck stamp art contest -- the judging, artists, and their artwork. There are also appendices with statistics, fun facts, and images for all federal duck stamps, and the values for all stamps and duck stamp prints. Throughout this coffee-table style book you will find over 275 beautiful images, most in full color, which bring the program alive. Two of those images are depictions of waterfowl from John James Audubon's Elephant Folio, The Birds of North America.