Back when I was hanging out in swamps with the wrong crowd (duck hunters 

 ) i shot two banded birds in one year.  One was a standard federal band and was a local bird.  The other was not federal and only had a confusing set of initials and numbers on it and no address.  
I did a lot of digging and some one suggested the abbreviation sounded like a nature center located about 75 miles east of where I shot the widgeon.  I contacted them and it was from their program.  I always wondered what their return rate was since only a local willing to spend the time was likely to figure it out.