WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Mark Kennedy has introduced legislation that would use money from duck stamps to pay for conservation of wetlands used by waterfowl and other species.

"We are facing a growing wetlands conservation crisis," Kennedy, R-Minn., said Friday.

Kennedy's bill, the Wetlands Loan Act, introduced with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., would borrow $400 million against future duck stamp fees to buy up land at current prices. That would allow for $800 million over 10 years for wetlands and waterfowl habitat.

That amount, when added to the current annual revenues coming into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, would set aside $800 million over a 10-year period for wetlands and waterfowl habitat.

"Because the number of hunters in the U.S. has remained relatively static while the price of land is on the rise, we are no longer creating sufficient revenues to preserve the habitat needed for waterfowl production," Kennedy said.

Federal duck stamps are pictorial stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service for the government, but they are not valid for postage. Among other things, they serve as the federal license to hunt waterfowl, and currently raise between $40 million and $50 million a year for habitat protection.

Among the groups supporting the bill are Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, The Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation.