# 3105k FDC - 1996 32c Endangered Species: San Francisco Garter Snake

US #3105k
1996 San Francisco Garter Snake

• First Day Cover
• Part of set of 15 stamps picturing Endangered Species
• Issued during National Stamp Collecting Month

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Endangered Species
Value:   32¢First-Class mail rate
First Day of Issue:  October 2, 1996
First Day City:  San Diego, California
Printed by:  Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method:  Lithographed
Format:  Panes of 15 (3 across, 5 down) from printing plates of 90 (9 across, 10 down)
Perforations:  11.1 x 11

Why the stamp was issued:  The pane of 15 Endangered Species stamps was issued as part of the US Postal Service’s National Stamp Collecting Month.  The theme for 1996 was “Collect and Protect.”  The USPS hoped these stamps would appeal to children, who would then become lifelong stamp collectors. 

About the stamp design:  The stamps show photographs of 15 animal species that live in America and re threatened with extinction.  The photos were taken by James Balog.  The animals chosen for the stamps are from all major geographic areas of the US. The Gila trout pictured on the stamp was a resident of a Fish and Wildlife Service facility in Mescalero, New Mexico.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the San Diego Zoo.  In 1996, the zoo was celebrating its 80^th birthday.  The country of Mexico issued its own pane of endangered species stamps on the same day and took part in the First Day of Issue ceremony.  (The stamps were not a joint issue.)  In addition to honored human guests, two sea lions, an Andean condor, and a North American timber wolf were also in attendance at the celebration.

Unusual fact about the Endangered Species stamps: The 1996 National Stamp Collecting Month was co-sponsored by the US Postal Service and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

About the Endangered Species Set: The species shown on the pane of Endangered Species stamps are: Black-footed Ferret, Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly, Brown Pelican, San Francisco Garter Snake, Ocelot, Gila Trout, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Thick-billed Parrot, California Condor, Wyoming Toad, Woodland Caribou, Florida manatee, Florida Panther, Piping Plover, and American Crocodile.  All of them are listed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

History this stamp represents: At one time the San Francisco garter snake could be found throughout the San Francisco Peninsula, ranging from northern San Mateo County to Ano Nuevo Point.  However, much of its habitat has been displaced, and today it only survives in the wild scattered throughout 20 known locations.
Extremely wary, this reclusive reptile prefers the tall undergrowth – cattails, bulrushes, and spike rushes – found growing around ponds, small lakes, and marshes.  As with many endangered species, urban development has destroyed much of the San Francisco garter snake’s habitat.  Wetlands have been filled in for housing and industry, streams have been diverted, and much of the undergrowth and brush has been eliminated to make way for recreational areas.
One of the most beautiful garter snakes, with its wide greenish-yellow stripe bordered by two broad red stripes, the San Francisco garter snake is also threatened by reptile dealers and snake fanciers.  Strict enforcement of the laws protecting the species however, has lessened these threats, and recovery programs have further increased the snake’s chance for survival.