Save Vanishing Species | USPS Stamp of Approval

Since it was issued in 2011, the Save Vanishing Species™ semipostal stamp has raised $1.8 million for animal conservation. We are proud to announce that on Friday, May 17—Endangered Species Day—the U.S. Postal Service will team up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations for a special stamp cancellation ceremony and sales event at the Detroit Zoo.

The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, outside the zoo’s admission gates. It will be followed from 2 to 4 p.m. with stamp sales at the Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo event. Special event cachets will also be available for sale.

Money raised by the sale of the stamp will be divided equally among the Multinational Species Conservation Funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As of 2011, these funds include the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. Between 2005 and 2009, these programs distributed more than 45 million dollars in grants. The grants helped to protect elephants from poaching, monitor sea turtle nesting sites, create ecotourism programs with local communities, and fund hundreds of other projects.

The Save Vanishing Species™ stamp is available online, by calling 1- (), and in Post Offices around the country.

Little more than one year ago, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Save Vanishing Species™ semipostal stamp at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Each stamp is valid for postage at the First-Class one-ounce rate, which is currently 45 cents, though the stamps themselves cost 55 cents each (or $11 for a sheet of 20 stamps). Under the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010, USPS will transfer the net proceeds from the sale of this stamp to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.

To date, nearly 15 million Save Vanishing Species stamps have been sold, raising more than $1.5 million for conservation efforts that benefit elephants, great apes, rhinoceroses, tigers, sea turtles, and other species.

The sales period for semipostal stamps is generally limited to no more than two years. This means that the Save Vanishing Species stamp will no longer be available for purchase beginning in late September 2013. Recently, however, Sens. Rob Portman and Tom Udall and Reps. Michael Grimm and Pedro Pierluisi have introduced legislation that would extend the sales period by four years.

“We have seen the way that the stamp has galvanized support for conservation among the American people over the past year,” said John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, in a recent press release. “I urge Congress to keep the momentum going on this fiscally responsible funding source for the world’s most iconic species by reauthorizing the stamp for another four years.”

You can still purchase the Save Vanishing Species stamps at Post Offices and online from The Postal Store. The includes 10 cards featuring the stamp art, 10 matching envelopes, and 10 stamps.

[From guest contributor Laurie]

We can’t let National Wildlife Week go by without celebrating the stamp that’s helping to save wild animals—the Save Vanishing Species semipostal. Many of the stamp’s fans call it “the tiger cub stamp,” because of the gorgeous graphic of an Amur tiger cub.

Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (click to order)

Until recently, this tiger subspecies was usually called the Siberian tiger. (Biologists renamed it because much of its habitat is found near the Amur River in Russia and China.) Amur tigers are not only the biggest subspecies of tiger, they’re also the largest cat in the world, weighing up to 650 pounds and measuring 13 feet from nose to tail tip.

Like human fingerprints, each tiger’s stripes are unique. They act as camouflage, helping tigers blend in with their forest’s surroundings. Although tigers specialize in hunting deer and pigs, they are actually quite fond of eating porcupines, and will even snack on small frogs!

Derry Noyes served as the art director, designer, and typographer for the stamp. She worked with artist Nancy Stahl to develop a powerful illustration to symbolize the plight of imperiled animals.

Notecard Set (click to order)

By purchasing this stamp, you are contributing funds that support efforts to create a future in which threatened animal species can once again thrive. Each Save Vanishing Species stamp is valid for postage at the First-Class Mail®, single-piece, first-ounce rate in effect at the time of purchase.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re recognizing some of the great female artists who have contributed to the stamp creation process. This is the first in an occasional series of interviews.

For the past decade, Nancy Stahl has helped create artwork for the Postal Service. The Long Island native’s recent projects include the Save Vanishing Species semipostal (2011)—which features a portrait of an Amur tiger cub—the Bobcat one-cent stamp (2012), and the Holy Family Forever® stamp (2012).

Recently, Stahl, who works from her studio in New York City, caught up with me via email.

How old were you when you became interested in illustration? And what interested you about it?

I planned to be an illustrator from the moment I knew there was such a thing. I remember a friend telling me she posed for a neighbor who was an illustrator some time in middle school. Seventh grade, I’d guess. I’d been drawing since I was old enough to grab a crayon. I was the one who drew the card for the kid who was out sick in class, or for the teacher’s birthday. My drawings were up on the bulletin board for the class photo. It was inevitable.

As an illustrator, who are your influences?

I have to be careful, I’m such a Zelig…I sometimes purposely keep myself from looking at other illustrators too closely out of fear that I’ll want to imitate them. In the past, I’ve been drawn to the poster artists of the ’30s and ’40s, but I’m getting away from that and trying for something more personal.

What specifically about USPS projects interests you?

The wide audience, instant recognition, the fact that stamps can be our country’s icons in a minor way and collectors will keep my images around for a very long time. I also like doing work that is very simple (not that drawing them is easy by any means… it’s often very difficult to have something read the way you want at a small size)—distilling something to its core is a great mental exercise.

You’ve worked on several stamps featuring wildlife. Have you always loved animals?

Well, it wasn’t so much my love of animals that made that happen, although it’s fine with me. Animals are what I was assigned by the USPS. I’m a city dweller. Dogs and cats and the occasional trip to the Bronx Zoo is about as close as I get to animals. But I do appreciate their beauty and am very concerned with the encroachment on their habitats.

Drawing animals is the next best thing to drawing people.

Do you have a favorite stamp you’ve illustrated? And if so, why?

I suppose I’d say the Florida Panther (2007) [left]. He came out very well. The sultry look in his eyes is pretty provocative for a postage stamp. Snowy Egret (2003) is right up there, too as it was my longest running stamp and the first in what turned out to be a series of sorts.

Which of your stamps has received the most feedback?

Every stamp has it’s niche group in addition to collectors and general stamp consumers. The cat lovers have gone for my tiger on the recent Save Vanishing Species stamp. The knitting community took notice of my knitted Christmas stamps a few years ago. It’s hard to tell which has resulted in more attention. Sometimes I’m involved and aware of the reactions and sometimes not.

At the moment, are you working on anything specific?

I am currently working on a block of four stamps. As well as a couple of book covers and some self-generated projects.

USPS Stamp of Approval

Tag Archives: Save Vanishing Species

Special Ceremony Will Spotlight Endangered Species

Save Vanishing Species: An Update

Amur Tiger Cub Helps Save the World’s Wildlife

Artist Spotlight: Nancy Stahl