On May 21, at Tumalo State Park in Deschutes County northwest of Bend, Oregon, the U.S. Postal Service held a dedication ceremony for 12 Wild and Scenic Rivers Forever stamps valued at the basic first-class letter rate (currently 55¢). These stamps were issued in the self-adhesive commemorative pane of 12 stamps shown in Figure 1, that may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually according to the USPS.
This pane celebrates wild and scenic rivers — exceptional American streams that run freely through natural landscapes without man-made alterations. The pane’s 12 photographs represent the more than 200 rivers or river segments designated within the Wild and Scenic Rivers system, which was established by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 2, 1968.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act categorizes segments as either wild, scenic or recreational rivers. Wild rivers are undammed, unpolluted and generally accessible only by trail. Scenic rivers may be “accessible in places by roads.” Recreational river areas are “readily accessible by road or railroad,” may have some shoreline development and may have been dammed in the past. Designations often result from grassroots action by local citizens. The Wild and Scenic Rivers system provides clean water, places of beauty, sanctuary and habitats for native wildlife.
Fifty years after it became law, “As of August 2018, the National System protects over 12,700 miles of 209 rivers in 40 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;” according to Wikipedia. “This is less than one-quarter of one percent of the nation’s rivers, which flow over 3.5 million miles across the United States. By comparison, more than 75,000 large dams across the country have modified at least 600,000 miles, or about 17%, of American rivers.”
Enlarged in Figure 2, the 12 stamps are identified by river, state and photographer as follows:
• First row, left to right: Merced River, California (Michael Melford, photographer); Owyhee River, Nevada (Michael Melford, photographer); and Koyukuk River, Alaska (Michael Melford, photographer).
• Second row, left to right: Niobrara River, Nebraska (Michael Melford, photographer); Snake River, Wyoming (Tim Palmer, photographer); and Flathead River, Montana (Tim Palmer, photographer).
• Third row, left to right: Missouri River, Montana (Bob Wick, staff photographer for Bureau of Land Management); Skagit River, Washington (Tim Palmer, photographer); and Deschutes River, Oregon (Bob Wick, BLM, photographer)
• Fourth row, left to right: Tlikakila River, Alaska (Michael Melford, photographer); Ontonagon River, Michigan (Tim Palmer, photographer); and Clarion River, Pennsylvania (Bob Wick, BLM, photographer).
Figure 2. These 12 stamps issued May 21 at a park near Bend, Oregon, showcase a dozen waterways in 10 states that are part of the Wild & Scenic Rivers system.
Small type on the bottom of each stamp indicates the name of the river. Michael Melford’s photograph of the Merced River is featured again in the selvage. Art director Derry Noyes designed the pane using the existing photographs.
Rivers have long had a place of honor on U.S. commemoratives, beginning at least as early as the first set named for America’s greatest river, the Trans-Mississippi Exposition issue of 1898, Scott 285–93. Figure 3 shows how the high and low values picture “The Big Muddy” as a background for Father Jacques Marquette’s explorations on the 1¢ and crossed in style by the Eads Bridge at St. Louis on the $2 value. Built in 1874, the Eads Bridge remains the oldest bridge on America’s greatest river.
Figure 3. “The Big Muddy” made a big splash on the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition commemoratives, as a background in Wisconsin for Father Jacques Marquette’s explorations on the 1¢ stamp and crossed in style by the Eads Bridge at St. Louis, Missouri, on the $2 stamp.
Shown in Figure 4 is a 20¢ stamp issued in 1983 (Scott 2042), commemorating the 50th anniversary of another president’s initiative: FDR’s introduction of the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933. Built to control frequent flooding and bring jobs to a part of America hard hit by the Great Depression, the TVA turned to an emphasis on hydroelectric power (from dams like Tennessee’s Norris Dam on the Clinch River, pictured on the stamp). This not only modernized and attracted new industry to the south, but also became strategically crucial to the U.S. during World War II.
Figure 4. Before taking dams out of rivers became an environmental priority in 1968, putting them in to control flooding and generate electricity was the order of the day in the 1933 Tennessee Valley Authority Act, commemorated on this 20¢ TVA 50th Anniversary stamp.
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their post office or at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope with the required postage addressed to:
FDOI — Wild and Scenic Rivers Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for up to 50 first-day postmarks. There is a 5¢ charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by September 21, 2019.