Daily Reporter Staff Reports
UNITED STATES — The U.S. Postal Service celebrates America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers with 12 new stamps, each showcasing a different segment of the National Wild and Scenic River System.
Designation of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System began in 1968 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as a way to protect unspoiled waterways and against the fear that wild and scenic rivers would disappear without action. Since then, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System has grown to include more than 200 river segments — about 13,000 miles of approximately 3 million U.S. river miles spread across 41 states and Puerto Rico. Rivers designated as wild and scenic are allowed to remain in their free-flowing state and natural setting without man-made alterations.
The dozen stamps featured in the collection represent a portfolio of photographs from award-winning photographers selected by Art Director Derry Noyes.
The first-row photographs were captured by photographer Michael Melford. A wintery shot of the Merced River in California is followed by two aerial photographs: an Idaho segment of the Owyhee River and Alaska’s meandering Koyukuk River.
The second row begins with an aerial photograph of Nebraska’s tree-lined Niobrara River taken by Melford. Next are two photographs by naturalist Tim Palmer: a Wyoming segment of the Snake River with a sunset silhouetting the Grand Tetons, and a Montana segment of Flathead River whitewater rapids.
Row 3 begins with the White Cliffs segment of the Missouri River in Montana, in an image captured by Bob Wick, staff photographer for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Palmer photographed the Skagit River in Washington State, with volcanic Mt. Baker in the background. Waterfalls along Oregon’s Deschutes River were photographed by Wick.
The fourth and final row offers an aerial shot of the Tlikakila River in Alaska, captured by Melford. Next is a Palmer photograph of Ontonagon River rapids running through the greenery in Michigan. The final image shows Pennsylvania’s Clarion River, mist-shrouded in a photo by Wick.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. Customers may purchase the Wild and Scenic Rivers Forever stamps at The Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.
