FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	
Contacts: Frances Frazier (202) 268-2898
October 24, 2003	Tony Musso (212) 330-3911
	Web Site: www.usps.com
	Stamp News Release #03-063

SNOWY EGRET STAMP ISSUED AT POSTAGE STAMP 
MEGA SHOW

NEW YORK - A new postage stamp depicting the snowy egret, one of 
America's most beautiful birds and once saved from the endangered 
species list, was issued today by the U.S. Postal Service.

The Snowy Egret stamp is available at Manhattan and Bronx Post Offices 
starting today.  It will be available at Post Offices across the country 
beginning tomorrow.  The stamp is offered in pressure-sensitive adhesive 
coils of 100 stamps each.

Vinnie Malloy, district manager of the New York District for the Postal 
Service, dedicated the stamp at a first day of issue ceremony at the 
Postage Stamp Mega Show.

Joining Malloy at the ceremony were Elizabeth C. Pope, president, 
American Stamp Dealers Association, Inc.; Janet Klug, president, 
American Philatelic Society; Raschelle A. Miley, manager of marketing, 
New York District, Postal Service; Miosotis Malagon-Mesa, singer and 
songwriter; and Nancy Stahl, artist/illustrator of the Snowy Egret 
stamp.

Stahl's art features a rendering of one of the most beautiful of 
American birds.  Based on photographs, the art depicts the head and 
upper body of a snowy egret against a blue background.  Her previous 
projects for the U.S. Postal Service include designs for the New York 
Public Library Lion stamp (2000), Art Deco Eagle stamp (2001) and the 
Wisdom stamp (2003).

The snowy egret (Egretta thula) is a slender white heron with black legs 
and bright yellow feet, sometimes described as "golden slippers."  Its 
black bill contrasts with its yellow eyes and lores-the area between the 
eyes and the bill.  When flying or searching for food, it can curve its 
long neck into a compact "S" shape.  

The snowy egret lives in marshes, swamps and other wetlands.  A wading 
bird, it feeds in shallow water on fish and other aquatic animals.  Its 
long, thin bill is adapted for spearing prey.  This agile hunter uses 
various methods to find food.  Sometimes it remains still, crouching as 
it waits for a meal.  At other times it sprints through the water 
chasing minnows or shuffles its feet to stir up animals from the bottom.

In the breeding season the adult has long, lacy plumes on its head, neck 
and back.  These graceful plumes, called aigrettes, were once used as 
decorations for ladies' hats.  In the late nineteenth and early 
twentieth centuries, the snowy egret and its larger cousin, the great 
egret (Ardea alba), were hunted almost to extinction for their plumes.  
The National Audubon Society was founded to save egrets and other 
endangered bird species.  Conservation efforts were successful and today 
the egret population is flourishing. 

Carl T. Hermann, Carlsbad, Calif., was designer and art director for the 
Snowy Egret stamp. 

To see the Snowy Egret stamp, locate the online version of this press 
release at www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/welcome.htm.  

Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are 
available by toll-free telephone order at 1 800 STAMP-24. A selection of 
stamps and other philatelic items are available at the online Postal 
Store at www.usps.com/shop. In addition, custom-framed art prints of 
original stamp art are available for purchase at www.postalgallery.com.

Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, 
neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency 
that visits more than 141 million homes and businesses every day and is 
the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The 
Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but 
derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products 
and services. With annual revenues of more than $68.9 billion, it is the 
world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some 
of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal 
Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume - some 
202 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year - 
and serves seven million customers each day at its 40,000 retail 
locations nationwide.


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