FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2001

Stamp Release No. 01-035

WILDLIFE ON THE PRAIRIE FEATURED ON NEW POSTAGE STAMPS
University of Nebraska at Lincoln Hosts Ceremony

WASHINGTON — Ten new postage stamps depicting the beauty and complexity of North America's wide-open spaces were dedicated today by the U.S. Postal Service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), kicking off three days of grassland celebrations and educational activities.


The Great Plains Prairie pane of 10 self-adhesive stamps is available at Lincoln post offices today and at post offices across the country tomorrow.


"The Great Plains Prairie commemorative stamps will grace thousands of cards and letters crossing America in the mail. These miniature portraits of the American prairie represent an environment that is as rich and as diverse as our American heritage," said DeWitt Harris, Postal Service Vice President Great Lakes Area, who dedicated the stamps.


"The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a natural location for the first day of issue of these prairie stamps," said Dr. Martin A. Massengale, President Emeritus of the University of Nebraska. "The University has a long history of devoted scholarship to the prairie ecosystem, including its native grasslands, art and people, and the state's history is richly entwined with early mail service, including the Pony Express and the great westward movement of wagon trains across the Nebraska prairie."


The ceremony featured Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns and John D. Dawson, of Hilo, Hawaii, who illustrated the stamps. Dawson's artwork includes 25 animal and plant species native to the mixed-grass prairie of the American Great Plains.


Joining employees of the Postal Service for the first day of issue ceremony were representatives from UNL, the UNL State Museum, the Center for Great Plains Studies, the Center for Grassland Studies, the National Wildlife Federation, the Lincoln Stamp Club, the Nebraska Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy-Nebraska, the Nebraska Wildlife Federation, The Nebraska Consortium for a Regional Humanities Center, the Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains, and the Prairie Plains Resource Institute.


"The Great Plains Prairie stamps celebrate the exceptional beauty of our nation's grasslands and the array of wildlife that depend on this American natural treasure," said Mark Van Putten, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "This stamp gives all Americans the opportunity to discover the wonder of grasslands plants and animals and the critical need to conserve them."


The Great Plains Prairie is the third stamp pane in an educational series titled "Nature of America." The series promotes appreciation of North America's major plant and animal communities. Printed in a souvenir sheet format, the stamps are camouflaged in a colorful scene full of wildlife and native plants. Stamps previously issued as part of the Nature of America series include the Sonoran Desert (1999) and the Pacific Coast Rain Forest (2000).


The Great Plains Prairie stretches from the edge of the eastern woodlands and oak savannas to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The prairie's complexity and significance as an ecosystem is often overlooked, but this important part of the American landscape is one of the largest grasslands in the world.


The fertile soils of the American prairie have supported farmers and ranchers for more than a century. The cultivation of crops and grazing of cattle have altered the prairie, but patches of native vegetation remain.


Dawson's artwork illustrates both the immense scale of the ecosystem and the individual environments of many important species. While the scene is imaginary, all species represented are appropriate and were recommended by scientists. A description of the prairie and a list of the common and Latin names of the plants and animals included in the art appear on the back of the stamp pane.