Download Spectacular Biodiversity Celebrated on Stamps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 1, 2010
Contact: Mark Saunders
202-268-6524
[email protected]
usps.com/news
Release No. 10-083
Spectacular Biodiversity Celebrated on Stamps
Educational Stamp Pane Highlights 24 Species
High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use only by emailing [email protected]
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, HI — The beauty of Hawaii’s rare plants and animals will grace letters and
packages traveling across the nation now that the Postal Service issued the Nature of America: Hawaiian
Rain Forest stamp pane and stamped postal cards today.
Featuring a Hawaiian rain forest, this 2010 Nature of America collectable stamp pane is the 12th and final
pane in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal
communities in the United States.
“Beautiful, diverse, and complex,” said Patrick Donahoe, Postal Service chief operating officer and
Deputy Postmaster General, in dedicating the stamps. “The Hawaiian rain forests are all of these and
more. The rain forest is a remarkably self-sustaining and balanced ecosystem. To the credit of the people
of Hawaii, work has been ongoing to preserve and protect them, and ultimately, the rain forest itself. As a
result, the Hawaiian rain forests are among the most efficient collectors of fresh water in the world.”
Joining Donahoe in dedicating the stamps were John Dawson, Nature of America stamp series artist;
Daniel Inouye, U.S. Senator, HI; James “Duke” Aiona Jr., Hawaii lt. governor; Mazie Hirono, U.S.
representative HI; William Kenoi, Hilo, HI mayor; Cynthia Orlando, superintendent, Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park; and, Daryl Ishizaki, Honolulu postal district manager.
"The Nature of America series has been a great ride,” said Dawson, who spent close to a year in the field
researching, photographing, and sketching virtually all of the Hawaiian Rain Forest subjects prior to
committing six months to creating the artwork. “For my wife Kathie and me, researching and illustrating
the series over the last 14 years has been one of the most fantastic experiences in our careers. I was
creating art from subjects I love and along the way we’ve forged wonderful friendships with this dream
assignment.” A Hilo, HI, resident since 1989, Dawson illustrated the series under the guidance of art
director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD.
To illustrate the spectacular biodiversity of a Hawaiian rain forest, Dawson depicted 24 different species.
The scene itself is completely imaginary. Such a dense grouping was necessary in order to show as
many plants and animals as possible in the stamp pane format. Even so, every species depicted could be
encountered in a Hawaiian rain forest, and all of the species and their interactions are appropriate and
were recommended by scientists.
A description of the rain forest and a numbered key to the artwork appear on the back of the stamp pane,
along with a corresponding list of common and scientific names for the 24 selected species.
Previous issuances in the Nature of America series were Sonoran Desert (1999), Pacific Coast Rain
Forest (2000), Great Plains Prairie (2001), Longleaf Pine Forest (2002), Arctic Tundra (2003), Pacific
Coral Reef (2004), Northeast Deciduous Forest (2005), Southern Florida Wetland (2006), Alpine Tundra
(2007), Great Lakes Dunes (2008) and Kelp Forest (2009).
The stamps go on sale nationwide today in Post Offices or may be purchased at the online Postal Store
at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage,
products and services to fund its operations.
Ordering the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new
stamps at their Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes, to themselves or
others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest Stamp
Postmaster
Hawaii National Park
1 Kilauea Military CP
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718-9997
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail.
There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Nov. 1, 2010.
Ordering First-Day Covers
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery
items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog
number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic Catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by
calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products
There are seven philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
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465762, First-Day Cover Full Pane, $6.90.
465764, First-Day Cancelled Full Pane, $6.90
465784, Uncut Press Sheet, $35.20.
465791, Ceremony Program, $6.95
465793, First-Day Cover w/Full Pane Keepsake, $11.95
465798, Limited Edition Collector’s Set, $99.95.
885400/01, Oversized Premium Postal Cards, $8.95
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Please note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at
www.usps.com/news.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the
nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers.
With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale
of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive
years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more
than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th
in the 2009 Fortune 500.
Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest Stamp Pane Background
The following explanatory text, along with a key to the artwork and a corresponding list of species,
appears on the back of the stamp pane:
Rainfall is abundant in a Hawaiian rain forest, a verdant world dotted with ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms and the
flowers of the kanawao, ‘ōhā, and other shrubs. Typically, the leaves and branches of mature ‘ōhi‘a lehua
trees make up the forest canopy. Saplings, shrubs, and tree ferns dominate the understory, while a great
variety of smaller ferns, herbs and mosses carpet the forest floor.
The lush vegetation offers protection and sustenance for wildlife, including several bird species,
numerous insects, and the islands’ only native terrestrial mammal — the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, or Hawaiian hoary
bat. Because of Hawaii’s remote location, its rain forest plants and animals were safe from competition
and predation by introduced species until relatively recent times; today, they are among the most
vulnerable biological communities on Earth.
The stamp pane features a rain forest on the island of Hawaii. In the painting, a tiny happyface spider
clings to a leaf in the foreground as honeycreepers and other birds seek nectar, insects, and berries amid
the dense foliage.
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‘Ōhi‘a lehua (Myrtle Family) Metrosideros polymorph
Hawaii ‘Amakihi (Finch Family) Hemignathus virens virens
Hawaii ‘Elepaio (Monarch Family) Chasiempis sandwichensis sandwichensis
‘Ōma‘o (Thrush Family) Myadestes obscurus
Kanawao (Hydrangea Family) Broussaisia arguta
‘Ōhelo kau lā‘au (Heath Family) Vaccinium calycinum
Koele Mountain Damselfly Megalagrion koelense
‘Ākala (Hawaiian Raspberry) Rubus hawaiensis
‘Ōhā (Bellflower Family) Clermontia parviflora
‘Apapane (Finch Family) Himatione sanguinea
Hawaiian Mint Phyllostegia vestita
‘Ākepa (Finch Family) Loxops coccineus coccineus
‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian Hoary Bat) Lasiurus cinereus semotus
Pulelehua (Kamehameha Butterfly) Vanessa tameamea
Kōlea lau nui (Myrsine Family) Myrsine lessertiana
‘Ilihia (African Violet Family) Cyrtandra platyphylla
Jewel Orchid Anoectochilus sandvicensis
Palapalai (Hay-scented Fern Family) Microlepia strigosa
Hāpu‘u pulu (Tree Fern Family) Cibotium glaucum
‘I‘iwi (Finch Family) Vestiaria coccinea
Hāhā (Bellflower Family) Cyanea pilosa longipedunculata
‘Ala‘ala wai nui (Black Pepper Family) Peperomia hypoleuca
Koa (Pea Family) Acacia koa
Happyface Spider Theridion grallator