National news

May 22, 2024

USPS Makes a Splash With New Sea Turtles Stamps

Sheet of 16 stamp of Protected Sea Turtles

What:

The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the majesty of marine turtles with Protect Sea Turtles, new stamps aimed at raising awareness of the plight of six endangered species dependent on U.S. coastal waters.

The first-day-of-issue ceremony has limited free tickets available. Share the news with hashtag #ProtectSeaTurtlesStamps.

Who:

David Camp, district manager, Texas 2 District, Postal Service

Jesse Gilbert, president and CEO, Texas State Aquarium

Eric Brunnemann, superintendent, Padre Island National Seashore, National Park Service

Jay Bigalke, editor in chief, Linn’s Stamp News

Jeff Fleming, deputy regional director, southwest region,  U.S Fish and Wildlife Service

Shannon Bettridge, chief, Office of Protected Resources, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, NOAA Fisheries

When:

June 11, 2024, at 11 a.m. CDT

Where:

Texas State Aquarium
2710 N. Shoreline Blvd
Corpus Christi, TX 78402

RSVP:

Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to register at usps.com/protectseaturtles.

Background:

For more than 100 million years, the ancestors of marine turtles swam the oceans. Yet in less than a century, exploitation and habitat destruction have devastated their numbers. The Postal Service celebrates these intriguing creatures with six new stamps — featuring species dependent on U.S. coastal waters for foraging and migratory habitats during various stages of their lives — in the hope of raising awareness of their plight.

All of the sea turtles depicted on the stamps are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act:

Kemp’s ridley (Doug Perrine, photographer)

Leatherback (Rowan Byrne, photographer)

Olive ridley (Solvin Zankl, photographer)

Green sea turtle (David B. Fleetham, photographer)

Loggerhead (James D. Watt, photographer)

Hawksbill (Claudio Contreras, photographer)

Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using existing photographs. The Postal Service printed 27 million Protect Sea Turtles stamps.

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.

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The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally 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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