NEW YORK — Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan today helped the National Park Service celebrate its 100th anniversary with the dedication of the pane of 16 National Parks Forever stamps .The first-day-of-issue ceremony took place in New York City at the World Stamp Show-NY 2016– which is the world’s largest stamp show and is only held once a decade in the United States.

“The men and women of the National Park Service preserve public treasures that extend beyond the stunning vistas and habitat for wildlife that we associate with our National Parks.  They provide public places for recreation, they manage museums and historical estates, and they maintain our most famous monuments,” said Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan in dedicating the stamps. “The National Park Service exemplifies our collective desire to preserve our connection to the land, nature and our heritage, and to maintain what we find beautiful in our world for the benefit of future generations.  And the US Postal Service is honored to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service through the issuance of 16 stamps commemorating America’s National Park System.”

“This beautiful stamp series showcases the variety of national parks available for all to enjoy,” said National Park Service Deputy Director Peggy O’Dell who joined Brennan in the dedication ceremony. “From a small oasis in the nation’s capital to the wild splendor of Alaska, with beaches and historic sites and natural wonders in between, the stamps represent parks of all shapes and sizes. We hope the stamps encourage everyone to Find Your Park during the centennial.”

As part of the ceremony, a live satellite broadcast of the simultaneous special dedication ceremony taking place at Assateague Island National Seashore’s Barrier Island visitor’s center in Berlin, MD, was viewed by the crowd of 500 witnessing the New York City event.  

“It’s a privilege to participate in this special dedication ceremony at the Assateague Island National Seashore, which is one of the most beautiful seashores with impressive beaches, dunes and even wild horses,” added U.S. Postal Service Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Jim Cochrane during the live satellite feed from Assateague. “Our National Parks are truly magnificent and we encourage everyone to visit.”

Assateague was one of 14 ceremonies taking place near National Park Services site locations depicted on the stamps. The public is asked to share the news on social media by using the hashtags #NPSStamps, #FindYourPark or #NPS100.

Also participating in the event was Matt Dieterichof Pittsburgh, PA, the photographer of the Mount Rainier stamp who provided the backstory on his stunning star trail photo comprised of 200 individual images. Special guests included Gulf Islands National Seashore stamp photographer John Funderburk of Hernando, FL, and Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens stamp photographer Cindy Dyer of Alexandria, VA.

The 16 National Park Service sites featured on these Forever Stamps include Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Bandelier National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Grand Canyon National Park,Gulf Islands National Seashore,Haleakalā National Park, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park,Mount Rainier National Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

The National Parks Stamp Pane
This sheet includes 16 different stamps, all of them showing views of national parks or plants, animals, artwork, objects, and structures found in or associated with a national park. Small type on the margin of each stamp indicates its location.

First row, left to right: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska (Tom Bean, photographer); Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (Matt Dieterich, photographer); “Scenery in the Grand Tetons” (Albert Bierstadt, artist; painting at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont); Bass Harbor Head Light at Acadia National Park, Maine (David Muench, photographer).

Second row, left to right: “The Grand Canyon of Arizona, from Hermit Rim Road” (Thomas Moran, artist; chromolithograph-on-canvas at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona); Assateague Island National Seashore, Virginia and Maryland (Tim Fitzharris, photographer).

Third row, left to right: Balclutha, a ship at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California (Tim Campbell, photographer); Arches National Park, Utah (Tom Till, photographer); Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota (QT Luong, photographer); Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Washington, D.C. (Cindy Dyer, photographer).

Fourth row, left to right: Administration Building at Frijoles Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico (Helmuth Naumer, Sr., artist); Everglades National Park, Florida (Paul Marcellini, photographer).

Fifth row, left to right: Haleakalā National Park, Hawai‘i (Kevin Ebi, photographer); Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (Art Wolfe, photographer); Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico (Richard McGuire, photographer); Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi (John Funderburk, photographer).

The image at the center of the sheet is a detail of the 1-cent Yosemite stamp issued in 1934, rendered here in light brown.

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 their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. 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:

National Parks Stamps
Special Events Coordinator
380 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10199-9998

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 up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by Aug. 2, 2016.

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

There are eight philatelic products for this stamp issue:
560624, Framed Art, $39.95.
560606, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $67.68
560610, Keepsake, $9.95.
560616, First-Day Cover (set of 16), $14.56.
560618, First-Day Cover, Full Pane, $10.02.
560619, Cancelled Full Pane, $10.02.
560621, Digital Color Postmark (set of 16), $25.92.
560630, Ceremony Program (random single), $6.95.

When reproducing the stamp images for media use only, please provide the copyright sign (the “c” inside the circle) and 2016 USPS. No notice required for photographs by individual photographers; the National Park Service images all require the following notices:

• Administration Building, Frijoles Canyon Helmuth Naumer Sr. Bandelier National Monument, BAND 1409.
• The Grand Canyon of Arizona, from Hermit Rim Road [detail] Thomas Moran Grand Canyon National Park, GRCA 134696.
• Scenery in the Grand Tetons [detail] Albert Bierstadt, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, MABI 2843.
• Balclutha, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. 
• Yosemite National Park (illustration); U.S. 1¢ postage [detail] 1934.

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

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