"I got mine. Get yours today."
That's what famed angler Al Lindner says about Minnesota's 2010 walleye stamp in an ad in the back of the 2010 Minnesota Fishing Regulations.
The walleye stamp, initiated in 2009, is the most recent addition to Minnesota's collection of fish and wildlife habitat stamps. The others are for waterfowl, pheasant, trout/salmon and wild turkey. The $5 walleye stamp is the only one that is a voluntary purchase. In other words, it is not required for walleye anglers, but the accumulated funds are dedicated toward walleye stocking.
The oldest Minnesota habitat stamp is for waterfowl. In 1977 the DNR commissioned famed Minnesota wildlife artist David Maass to paint it. It portrays three mallards flushing from a cattail marsh. The cost was $3. The stamp is required by all Minnesota waterfowl hunters between the ages of 18 and 64, along with a small game license. In 1977 about 127,000 of them were sold.
The 2010 waterfowl stamp sells for $7.50 and features a drake wood duck by artist Mark Kness of Albert Lea. According to the DNR, yearly sales garner between $500,000 and $800,000, money used for habitat projects in wildlife-management areas and other wetlands locations.
It's no secret Minnesota has a flock of talented wildlife artists -- the Hautman brothers, Scot Storm, Kevin Daniel, just to name a few -- and the DNR puts that talent to good use. An expert panel selects each year's stamp from the many entries it receives.
Contrary to popular belief, contest winners are not paid by the DNR for their work. The artists retain all rights to the paintings. Money generated by winning entries generally comes from the sale of limited edition prints.
Next was the pheasant stamp. In 1983, at the urging of hunters and the newly founded conservation group Pheasants Forever, Gov. Rudy Perpich signed it into legislation at the initial Pheasants Forever banquet.
