America’s natural bounty includes a variety of unique and priceless wildlife. Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which marks its 50th anniversary in 2023, more than 1,300 imperiled plant and animal species are safeguarded to increase their chances of survival, according to a news release. The Florida panther is among the endangered species.
The First-Day-Of-Issue stamp dedication ceremony for the United State Postal Service’s new collector edition took place on May 19.
The pane, which may be purchased at local post offices, presents a photographic portfolio of 20 endangered animal species, which are found within the 50 states and American territories and possessions or living near U.S. borders.
The endangered species featured include: the Laysan teal, black-footed ferret, Roanoke logperch, thick-billed parrot, candy darter, Florida panther, masked bobwhite quail, Key Largo cotton mouse, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, Wyoming toad, Vancouver Island marmot, golden-cheeked warbler, Guam Micronesian kingfisher, San Francisco garter snake, Mexican gray wolf, Attwater’s prairie chicken, Nashville crayfish, piping plover, desert bighorn sheep and Mississippi sandhill crane.
The endangered creatures on the stamps are selected from among more than 13,000 species featured in Joel Sartore’s National Geographic Photo Ark project, which aims to document every species living in the world’s zoos, aquariums and wildlife sanctuaries; inspire action through education; and help protect wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts, the release said.
In the 50 years since President Richard Nixon signed the ESA into law on Dec. 27, 1973, other nations worldwide have emulated the pioneering U.S. initiative. The ESA provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad.
Scientists estimate that hundreds of species have been rescued from the brink of extinction in the United States since the ESA began. A species found to need protection is listed under the ESA as either threatened or endangered, the latter defined as “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range,” the release said.
Published June 14, 2023
