The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new Protect Sea Turtles Forever stamps June 11 in a dedication ceremony held at the Texas State Aquarium.
The stamps, which are aimed at raising awareness of the endangered sea turtles, were announced alongside the hashtag #ProtectSeaTurtlesStamps to promote the cause on social media.
“Sea turtles are majestic creatures who play an important role in marine ecosystems,” said David Camp, USPS Texas 2 District Manager. “As you send letters to your friends and family using these stamps, we hope they will serve as a reminder that we can all do our part to help save these incredible ancient mariners.”
The stamps feature six sea turtle species that depend on U.S. coastal waters for foraging and migratory habitats at various stages of their lives. Each species is listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The depicted species include a gray-green Kemp’s ridley, a black-and-white leatherback, an olive ridley, a green sea turtle, a mottled orange-brown loggerhead, and a brownish-yellow hawksbill.
Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the pane of 18 stamps from photographs by Doug Perrine, Rowan Byrne, Solvin Zankl, David B. Fleetham, James D. Watt, and Claudio Contreras.
Sea turtles, one of the oldest groups of animals on Earth, face numerous threats worldwide, including bycatch in fishing gear, habitat loss, artificial lighting on beaches, boat strikes, and illegal harvesting.
Climate change poses additional challenges, such as rising sea levels and temperature changes affecting hatchling sexes. “All sea turtle species in the U.S. are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These species face multiple human threats, and their recovery is further challenged by climate change impacts,” said Dr. Shannon Bettridge, Chief of the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Division of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources. “The Protect Sea Turtles stamps are a long-lasting symbol to raise awareness of the species’ plight and engage the public in their conservation.”
To help protect sea turtles, individuals are encouraged to choose seafood that is caught in ways that do not harm turtles, minimize beachfront lighting during nesting season, avoid disturbing nesting sites, and boat at safe speeds to reduce the risk of striking a turtle.
Customers can purchase the new stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps. com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide. Officially licensed stamp products are also available through the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. More information on stamps and related events can be found at Stamps-Forever.com.
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