# 5799h - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Endangered Species: Key Largo Cotton Mouse

U.S. #5799h
2023 Key Largo Cotton Mouse – 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 Key Largo cotton mouse.

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 Key Largo cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola) is a subspecies of cotton mouse native to Key Largo, Florida.  However, as urbanization became more pronounced in its historic range, populations of the Key Largo cotton mouse have decreased significantly.  It was listed as an endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984.

Key Largo cotton mice are on the larger side for mice and have reddish brown fur that extends all the way to the tips of their tails.  The fur gets lighter on their sides and their bellies are white.  Their average life expectancy is just five months with the highest known age being three years.  They are able to breed throughout the year and make their nests inside hollow logs, trees, or rock crevices.

The habitat Key Largo cotton mice prefer is tropical hardwood forests.  However, they have lost 50 percent of this habitat to urbanization.  This has reduced access to food and shelter as well as a diverse breeding population.  The Key Largo cotton mouse has also faced stiff competition from increased populations of black rats and threats from cats and dogs.  All this, plus limited knowledge of the Key Largo cotton mouse’s behavior and needs, has made conservation difficult.  We can only hope future efforts will be more successful in saving these tiny creatures from extinction.