The U.S. Postal Service is helping to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators by issuing Protect Pollinators Forever stamps depicting both the monarch butterfly and the western honeybee, each pictured pollinating a variety of plants native to North America.
©2017 USPS
On Thursday, August 3rd U.S. Postal Service Judicial Officer Gary Shapiro will be dedicating the Protect Pollinators Forever stamps at the American Philatelic Society National Summer Convention Stamp Show in Richmond, VA. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Regional Director for External Affairs, Midwest Region, Charles Traxler, President of the American Philatelic Society, Mick Zais and the Pollinator Partnership President & CEO Val Dolcini are all scheduled be attending the ceremony.
©2017 USPS
Honeybee hives have been stricken with a variety of issues in recent years between Colony Collapse Disorder and parasitic mites. Monarch butterflies are also faced with their own set of challenges as the habitats that they depend on are disappearing at an increasing rate. The protection of pollinators is vital to ensure the health of natural ecosystems and keep agricultural production thriving. A Cornell University study found that one-third of all the food eaten in the U.S. is the direct result of pollinators.
The USPS encourages the use of the hashtags #ProtectPollinators and #PollinatorStamps to help raise awareness about the new Forever stamps and the importance of pollinators.