NEW YORK — Customers can celebrate Earth Day, April 22, by stamping their mail with animal-inspired postage that promotes wildlife awareness and preservation.

The U.S. Postal Service helped raise awareness of the plight of sea turtles, manatees and endangered species with the following stamps available online at The Postal Store.

Protect Sea Turtles Forever stamps

The Protect Sea Turtles Forever stamps were released June 11, 2024. One of the oldest groups of animals on Earth, sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean, coming ashore only to lay their eggs, and in some places, to bask. They migrate long distances, sometimes crossing entire oceans.

“Sea turtles are majestic creatures who play an important role in marine ecosystems,” said Texas 2 District Manager David Camp.

Sea turtles face many threats worldwide, including being accidentally captured in fishing trawls, nets and lines; habitat loss from development; artificial lighting on beaches; boat strikes; and illegal harvesting. In addition, rising ocean levels swamp nesting beaches and warming sands cause a decline in the number of male hatchlings.

“All sea turtle species in the U.S. are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act,” said Shannon Bettridge, chief of the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources.

Save Manatees stamp issued March 27, 2024

The Save Manatees stamps were issued March 27, 2024. Florida manatees were first protected under state law in 1893 and are covered by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act. On a federal level, they are protected by both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. 

Manatees were reclassified from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2017.

Despite these legal protections, manatees still face considerable threats. They are often accidentally hit by motorboats in increasingly crowded waters, and sometimes they become entangled in fishing nets.

Water pollution is killing the seagrass that manatees rely on for food.

Since 1974, more than 41 percent of manatee deaths have been human-related — with 34 percent due to watercraft collisions.

Endangered Species Collector’s Set

Customers can still order the Endangered Species Forever stamps with a limited-edition collector’s set. The stamps were released on May 19, 2023.

The perfect gift for animal lovers everywhere, this set explores endangered species and their habitats and comes with progressive stamp proofs, a pane of 20 Endangered Species Forever stamps, and a numbered certificate of authenticity.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, First Day of Issue Ceremonies and stamp inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.

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