# 5799k - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Endangered Species: Vancouver Island Marmot

U.S. #5799k
2023 Vancouver Island Marmot – 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 Vancouver Island Marmot.

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 Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is one of the largest members of the squirrel family and is native to Vancouver Island.  It is the only naturally occurring marmot species on the island and went from a population of just 30 wild marmots in 2003 to 250 in 2021.

Vancouver Island marmots are easily distinguished from other marmot species by their dark brown fur with white markings.  They measure 25-27 inches long and weigh up to 16 pounds before they go into hibernation.  Their diet consists of over 30 different species of plants.  In spring, they eat mostly grasses, while in summer, they switch to lupines.  Vancouver Island marmots hibernate for roughly 210 days out of the year, usually from late September or early October to late April or early May.

The decline in Vancouver Island marmots is mainly due to lack of suitable habitat, some of which is caused by climate change.  According to the Marmot Recovery Foundation, they have also been affected by “forestry and altered predator abundance and hunting patterns.”  However, there is still hope for Vancouver Island marmots.  The foundation has dedicated themselves to captive breeding with the purpose of releasing marmots into the wild.  Since 2003, conservation efforts have allowed marmot populations to recover significantly.