The Wild and Scenic Rivers stamps will begin flowing into the nation’s mailboxes this week.
The 12-stamp pane highlights images from the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, including:
- Merced River, the main waterway flowing through Yosemite Valley, CA
- An Idaho segment of the Owyhee River, where desert canyons are carved into volcanic rock
- Alaska’s Koyukuk River, which originates in the Brooks Range within the Arctic Circle
- Niobrara River, a tree-lined haven for wildlife amid an otherwise treeless prairie in Nebraska
- Snake River in Wyoming, where the Grand Tetons provide a spectacular backdrop
- Flathead River, a Montana stream that is part of a wildlife habitat that includes grizzly bears
- Missouri River, where the White Cliffs section in Montana remains virtually unchanged since Lewis and Clark’s 1805 explorations
- Skagit River in Washington state, which is among the nation’s most fertile salmon habitats
- Deschutes River, an Oregon stream punctuated by beautiful cascades over volcanic rock formations
- Tlikakila River in Alaska, where moose, caribou, Dall sheep, bears, wolves and sockeye salmon thrive
- Ontonagon River of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which runs northward into Lake Superior and is rich with native trout
- Pennsylvania’s Clarion River, which flows through lands that are home to some of the tallest old-growth forest in the Northeast
Overall, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, established by a 1968 law, is comprised of more than 200 free-flowing rivers that are noted for remarkable attributes, including fish and wildlife, geology, recreation and cultural or historical significance.
Derry Noyes, a USPS art director, used existing photographs to design the pane, which will be available at Post Offices and usps.com.