# 5799b - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Endangered Species: Black-footed Ferret

U.S. #5799b
2023 Black-footed Ferret – Endangered Species

• Part of the Endangered Species set celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
• Design pictures a photograph by Joel Sartore’s famous “Photo Ark” project 

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Endangered Species
Value:  63¢, First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  May 19, 2023
First Day City:  Wall, South Dakota
Quantity Issued:  30,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor tagged paper

Why the stamp was issued:  To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and the endangered Black-footed ferret.

About the stamp design:  Like the others in the set, the photograph on the stamp is from Joel Sartore’s famous “Photo Ark” project.  They are among over 13,000 the National Geographic photographer has taken in his quest to shoot photos of as many animal species as possible.

Special design details:  Stamp includes “Endangered” and the common name of the species.

First Day City:  First Day of Issue Ceremony was in Wall, South Dakota, at the National Grasslands Visitor Center.  The center encourages visitors to see the 20 National Grasslands and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  These habitats are home to the black-footed ferret, one of the endangered species pictured in the set of stamps.

About the Endangered Species set:  The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28.  The legislation “protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend,” with a goal “to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost.”  The ESA is jointly administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service.

In 2023, the US Postal Service celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the ESA with a set of 20 Forever stamps.  The stamps were issued on Endangered Species Day, which lands on the third Friday in May.  Each design pictures a different endangered species, representing only a small handful of the over 1,300 plants and animals protected under the ESA as of 2023.  The images used for the stamps were part of Joel Sartore’s “Photo Ark.”  Partnering with National Geographic, he set out to capture 20,000 species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the world.  Together, they are determined to intimately picture each species in order to educate and bring awareness to their preservation.  Sartore calls his work as a photographer a “mission to document endangered species and landscapes in order to show a world worth saving.”

Thanks to the ESA, many plant and animal species that were once endangered have made a comeback.  With the continued effort of conservationists, volunteers, and increased awareness, even more species can make their way back from the brink of extinction one day.

History the stamp represents:  The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is an endangered member of the mustelidae family.  In 1979, the species was actually declared extinct in the wild.  However, just two years later, a small population was found in Meeteetse, Wyoming.

Black-footed ferrets measure up to 21 inches long, with females being slightly smaller.  They have long, sleek bodies with short fur and a similar build to weasels.  They spend most of their time alone except during the breeding season or when raising young.  The ferrets move around depending on the time of year and access to their main prey animal – prairie dogs.  In western Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana, black-footed ferrets depend on white-tailed prairie dogs.  During prairie dog hibernation season, ferrets switch to mice, voles, and other rodents.  In South Dakota, black-footed ferrets eat black-tailed prairie dogs year-round because the species does not hibernate.  Along with being a food source, black-footed ferrets also depend on prairie dog burrows for shelter and for raising young.

Sylvatic plague has led to prairie dog die-off in many regions as well as infecting and decreasing black-footed ferret populations.  Habitat loss has also been a large contributing factor.  However, since 1991, captive breeding and re-introduction programs have slowly brought them back from the brink of extinction.