Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 1.djvu/359

 PUBLIC LAW 98-341—JULY 3, 1984

98 STAT. 311

Public Law 98-841 98th Congress Joint Resolution Designating the week of July 1 through July 8, 1984, as "National Duck Stamp Week" and 1984 as the "Golden Anniversary Year of the Duck Stamp".

July 3, 1984 rg j Res. 270]

Whereas on March 16, 1934, Congress enacted the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act authorizing the sale of Migratory Bird Hunt- 48 Stat. 451. ing and Conservation Stamps, commonly referred to as duck stamps; Whereas under that Act any person sixteen years of age or older, who hunts ducks, geese, swans, or brant is required to carry a current duck stamp, and duck stamps may also be purchased by nonhunters interested in conservation; Whereas the funds generated from the sale of duck stamps under that Act are placed in a migratory bird conservation fund to be used for the acquisition of migratory bird refuge and waterfowl production areas; Whereas the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act has created a continuing source of funds for waterfowl habitat acquisition and restoration; Whereas waterfowl hunters and others interested in the conservation of our Nation's wildlife resources have contributed more than $270,000,000 toward the acquisition of three million five hundred thousand acres of waterfowl habitat through the purchase of duck stamps; Whereas an estimated four hundred fifty thousand acres of wetland habitat continue to disappear each year under the pressure of human development; Whereas wetlands are vital not only for waterfowl, but also for a multitude of wildlife species, commercial and recreational fisheries, water purification, groundwater recharge, and flood control; Whereas the current goal of the Fish and Wildlife Service is to preserve another one million six hundred thousand acres of key wetland habitat by 1986 to help maintain waterfowl populations; and Whereas celebration of the "Golden Anniversary Year of the Duck Stamp" and "National Duck Stamp Week" will serve to increase awareness of the significant contribution a duck stamp purchaser makes to the conservation of wetland resources, and to encourage participation of other concerned Americans: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the week of July 1 through July 8, 1984, is hereby designated as "National Duck Stamp Week and that 1984 is designated as the "Golden Anniversary Year of the Duck Stamp". The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation— (1) commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act; (2) commending the many American sportsmen and conservationists who have played such an important part in the preser-

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