A high-resolution image of the stamped envelope is available for media use only by emailing: mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.

SACRAMENTO, CA — Nature lovers will be aflutter now that the U.S. Postal Service is releasing the Bank Swallow Forever Stamped Envelope today.

The 58-cent Forever stamped envelopes (46-cent Forever stamp and 12-cent envelope surcharge), good for mailing 1-ounce First Class letters anytime in the future regardless of price changes, are only available at usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724).

The product is available in #10 regular and window envelopes; #9 regular and window envelopes; and, #6 ¾ regular and window envelopes.

The highly realistic stamp art is the work of illustrator Matthew Frey of Annapolis, MD, under the direction of Bill Gicker of Washington, DC. Frey’s work is based on photographs which show a large illustration of the swallow perching and a smaller illustration of the bird in flight.

An accomplished illustrator and a graphic designer, Frey’s work has appeared in National Geographic, Smithsonian, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum. A licensed Master Falconer, Frey is an officer of the Potomac Falconers Association, the oldest falconry organization in the United States, and is a founding officer of the West Virginia Falconry Club.

Seen on Six of Seven Continents
The bank swallow (Riparia riparia) is the smallest swallow in North America and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. About five inches long, the slender bird digs nesting burrows in riverbanks, gravel pits and even highway cuts. Both males and females help dig the tunnel, first pecking out a shallow hole with their beaks, then using their feet to kick out the dirt.

Like all swallows, bank swallows are agile songbirds that specialize in catching insects in midair. A typical bank swallow colony can have anywhere from ten to nearly 2,000 nests. A sandbank riddled with holes, especially one near a river or lake, is likely to be the home of a colony of bank swallows.

Customers may view the Bank Swallow Forever Stamped envelope, as well as many of this year’s other stamps, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, on Twitter@USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for information on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at local Post Offices, at usps.com/stampsor by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:

Bank Swallow Stamped Envelope
Sacramento Post Office
2000 Royal Oaks Drive
Sacramento, CA 95813-0008

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 May 1, 2013.

Ordering First-Day Covers
The Postal Service 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, online at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
Thirteen philatelic products are available:

• 210916, #10 Regular Water Activated Gum (WAG) First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 210016, #10 Window WAG First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 211116, #9 Regular WAG First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 211216, #9 Window WAG First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 265616, #6 ¾ Regular WAG First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 265716, #6 ¾ Window WAG First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 231316, #10 Regular Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 231416, #10 Window PSA First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 231516, #9 Regular PSA First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 231616, #9 Window PSA First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 270716, #6 ¾ Regular PSA First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 270816, #6 ¾ Window PSA First-Day Cover, 70 cents.
• 231334, Bank Swallow #10 Regular PSA 10pk. with Seals, $9.95.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

Follow the Postal Service on www.twitter.com/USPSstamps and at www.facebook.com/USPSSTAMPS.