SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/28/07 -- The U.S. Postal Service will publicize the importance of pollinating animals by issuing a series of 41-cent Pollination stamps featuring pollinators and their corresponding native plants today. The First Day of Issuance Ceremony in Washington, D.C. will coincide with National Pollinator Week, designated as June 24-30 by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help publicize the importance of pollinators and to call on the public to take action to support pollinator health and abundance. For a downloadable image of the stamp, visit http://pollinator.org/press_kit.htm.

Designed by artist Steve Buchanan, the U.S. Postal Service block of four Pollination stamps will feature Morrison's bumble bee, the calliope hummingbird, the lesser long-nosed bat, the Southern dogface butterfly, and plants that each animal pollinates. The unique design arranges the stamps in two blocks of four, one with the pollinators in the center, the other with the plants they pollinate as the central focus. The interlocking visuals are a metaphor for the interconnectedness of all nature -- and the partnership that pollinators represent.

The First Day of Issuance Ceremony to commemorate the Pollination stamp series is being held at the USDA office in Washington, D.C. Beginning at 9 a.m., the public will be able to purchase the first day of issuance stamps, and an official unveiling ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. led by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Donahoe.

In conjunction with National Pollinator Week and the release of the Pollination stamps, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) will partner with noted Kansas-based crop artist Stan Herd to create a half-acre replica of the Southern dogface butterfly stamp out of natural materials.

Convinced that public awareness and involvement are essential to pollinator protection, NAPPC enlisted Herd to help publicize the issue. Herd specializes in large-scale earthworks, such as crop art and rock mosaics, and has been featured in publications such as National Geographic and Smithsonian. His previous work can be viewed at www.stanherdart.com, and photos of his work in progress can be viewed at http://pollinator.org/Crop_art_update.htm.

For more information about the Pollination stamps, Stan Herd's Pollinator Crop Art installation, Pollinator Week events and ways to get involved, visit www.pollinator.org.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=521815

Add to DiggBookmark with del.icio.usAdd to Newsvine

Laurie Adams
(415) 260-8092
Email Contact

Kat McGuire
(415) 362-1137
Email Contact

• Making Sure the Mail Gets Through with Cloud-Native Messaging Service