Kelp forest gets first-class stamp
Aquarium plans underwater ceremony to launch stamps of bay wonder.
The U.S. Postal Service kicks off National Stamp Collecting Month on Thursday at the Monterey Bay Aquarium by unveiling its new set of stamps ... underwater.
Divers will reveal a large version of the "Nature of America: Kelp Forest" stamp pane from inside the world's first captive kelp forest exhibit, located in the aquarium.
"This highlights our signature exhibit in an exciting way," said Karen Jeffries, public relations manager for the aquarium. "Any chance we get to engage potential conservationists is important to us."
The stamp set is the 11th in the educational Nature of America series issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The series showcases major U.S. plant and animal communities, including the Arctic Tundra, Pacific Coast Rain Forest and Sonoran Desert.
During the ceremony, divers will speak with the audience and answer questions about the kelp forest habitat. Kelp, the largest seaweed, grows as tall as trees and forms a lush habitat for hundreds of marine animals.
"It's a marvelous and important ecosystem," Jeffries said. "It's really a nursery for much of the ocean along California's coast."
The 10-stamp pane is based on a painting by John D. Dawson of Hilo, Hawaii. It showcases 27 animals and fish from the kelp forest ecosystem, each of which is named and described on the back of the stamp's pane. All of the species are native to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Dawson will participate in the ceremony and sign autographs
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"The exhibit shows visitors who don't like to dive in cold water what's in our backyard," said Jeffries.
This isn't the first aquatic stamp to be revealed at the aquarium from under water. In 2000, a remotely operated vehicle unveiled the "Deep Sea Creatures" stamp series from 1,500 feet beneath the surface of Monterey Bay. Live video was beamed back to the aquarium.
Posted 09/29/2009 10:37 am
