Duck Jewelry on the Way Out?
And with it, informed waterfowl management.
By Bruce Ross, Executive Director – bross@wisducks.org
This article appeared in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s August 2025 Newsletter edition.
The newly signed 2026 federal budget would eliminate funding for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area—about $293 million in programs—which includes the Bird Banding Laboratory and waterfowl and wetlands research efforts, effectively ending federal bird-banding operations in the U.S.
The proposed shutdown of the U.S. waterfowl banding program contained in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” is a careless move that would cripple science-based waterfowl management. For nearly a century, banding has provided the hard data we need to track migration, survival, and harvest rates—information that underpins every responsible decision on seasons, bag limits, and habitat priorities. Without it, managers are flying blind.
Waterfowl banding is the backbone of smart, adaptive harvest strategies. It tells us what’s sustainable and what’s not. Eliminating this program means fewer facts and more guesswork—at a time when climate change and habitat loss demand sharper tools, not duller ones. It’s a dangerous gamble with the future of our waterfowl populations.
It goes against the seven pillars of the long-standing North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and it betrays the waterfowl hunters who fund conservation through stamps and license fees. This decision also undermines decades of international cooperation. The entire North American Flyway system depends on banding data shared between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Pulling the plug on our end breaks that trust and weakens the system that protects these birds that cross international borders.
Beyond the numbers, banding connects hunters to the resource. Every recovered band tells a story—sparking curiosity, educating youth, and building support for conservation. Ending this program doesn’t just cut science—it severs a vital bond between waterfowlers and their wildlife. And means fewer trophies on our lanyards.
We can’t afford to let this happen. Contact your elected federal officials and make your voice heard. The waterfowl banding program isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. Let’s fight to keep it alive.
For more information:
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/science/trump-budget-birds-banding-hunters.html
