Save on postage: New manatee stamp to raise awareness on threatened species

SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. – They’re one of Florida’s most iconic native species, and starting later this month, you’ll be able to spread awareness of threatened manatees just by sending a letter.

The “Save Manatees” stamp will be available to buy across the U.S. on “Manatee Appreciation Day” on March 27. According to the USPS website, the stamp is being issued to create awareness about the threats posed to the marine mammal. Human vigilance is crucial for the protection of the threatened West Indian manatee — both to minimize motorboat strikes and to maintain the aquatic plants on which it feeds.

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The stamp, which is being issued as a Forever stamp, features an illustration by Nancy Stahl, showing a gray-green West Indian manatee “placidly lolling underwater near the surface”.

A booklet of 20 costs $13.60. On the same day as the stamp rollout, there will be a commemoration ceremony at 9 a.m. at Silver Springs State Park

The West Indian manatee inhabits Florida’s inland waterways and warm areas of the coastal Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. In 2021, Florida had a record 1,100 manatee deaths. In December 2023, News 6 reported that the number of manatee deaths in Florida was cut in half thanks to support like the lettuce feeding program.

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it was launching a new scientific review to determine whether manatees should be reclassified as endangered species.

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