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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Two wheels to freedom: Phoenix camp helps kids with disabilities learn to ride ... Rocker's old house vaults Williams into the spotlight ... Mail Tribune garners 11 first-place wins at ONPA ... Two wheels to freedom: Phoenix camp helps kids with disabilities learn to ride ... Rocker's old house vaults Williams into the spotlight ... Mail Tribune garners 11 first-place wins at ONPA ... OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK Duck stamps help establish Web foothold Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 19, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 19, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News The federal duck stamp needed to hunt waterfowl is on the cusp of entering cyberspace for the first time. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have both passed legislation that will make the federal duck stamp permanently available online. The so-called Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act now awaits President Barack Obama's signature. Dragging the duck-stamp purchase process into the 21st century will make it easier for hunters and be more cost-effective for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to Ducks Unlimited. Those who buy the stamps online will still get them sent to their residences, according to the bill. But the online proof of purchase means hunters can immediately go waterfowl hunting after online purchase is completed. That proof-of-purchase stamp is valid for 45 days, giving the agency plenty of time to ship the traditional paper stamp. It will take just an Internet connection and a credit card to carry out the transaction, according to DU. The way to pay for a federal duck stamp is independent of the move afoot in Congress to increase that payment. A bipartisan bill that would raise the price of a federal Duck Stamp from $15 to $25 and channel millions of dollars toward wetlands and other waterfowl habitat conservation. If adopted, it would be the first raise since 1991. Local A&H Council representatives sought The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking two landowner representatives to join its Access and Habitat Program's Southwest Regional Council that helps mete out grants to landowners and groups for work improving hunter access or big-game habitat. The all-volunteer board helps screen grant proposals to the ODFW's Access and Habitat Program funded by a $4 surcharge on Oregon hunting licenses sold annually. The regional council covers grant proposals on lands in Jackson, Josephine, Curry and Douglas counties. Grants recommended for funding are then sent to the statewide A&H Board. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission makes the final call on the grants. The all-volunteer regional council is made up of three members representing hunters and three representing landowners. The chair is the seventh member. The two landowner representatives can come from any of the region's counties, and the term is for four years. The regional council meets four times a year, often by conference call for those who live out of the area and opt against travel, says Vince Oredson, the ODFW habitat biologist who works with the board. Regional meetings typically last one or two hours, Oredson says. Landowner representatives typically are ranchers, farmers or foresters or others who work on the land and have an interest in wildlife habitat, hunting and private-land access issues, Oredson says. Applications will be accepted through January. For more information and an application, telephone Oredson at 541-826-8778, ext. 232, or email him at [email protected]. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 19, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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