From 7pm
At Nature Learning Center
Conservation stamps provided a visible impetus to Earth Day and the Environmental movement of the 1970s. Images of a wide variety of American conservation stamps will be shown. Sample conservation stamps will be available along with a handout on the story of conservation stamps. Join naturalist David Govatski for a slide program that traces the art, history and science behind conservation stamps. Conservation leaders and artists such as “Ding” Darling, Roger Tory. Peterson, Bob Hines and others will be discussed.
The story of Conservation Stamps is largely unknown. The first stamp came out of the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. It was a 3-cent Arbor Day postage stamp from 1932 encouraging young people to plant trees. Soon other types of stamps came out including what we know as the Duck Stamp. The Duck Stamp is one of the most successful conservation initiatives ever with over 6 million acres of wetlands acquired. Other types of stamps such as the National Wildlife Federation annual conservation stamps started in 1938 and raised millions of dollars for conservation and habitat protection. Still other stamps sought to protect wildlife species such as the California condor, brook trout and American bison.