WASHINGTON — America’s national parks are the subject of stamped postal cards and a new
co-branded book released today by the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

During a special first-day-of-issue ceremony at The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, Postmaster General John E. Potter was joined by Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to unveil the Scenic American Landscapes Premium Stamped Postal Cards. The booklet of 20 cards with 10 designs is based on previously released international postage stamps, which are pre-printed on the cards. The postal card booklet’s retail price is $14.95.

“Through the stamp program, the Postal Service has always recognized the importance of our national parks,” said Potter. “And in recent decades, we’ve recognized the need to treat our entire natural environment with the same measure of care and respect. We have an Office of Sustainability that is dedicated to this purpose. Two days from today, it will lead us in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.”

Potter noted that this week, April 17-25, is National Park Week. In the spirit of the week’s celebration, Potter said it is fitting that the Postal Service also has teamed up with the National Park Service on a new book being released today called The Grandest Things: Our National Parks in Words, Images, and Stamps.

“I can think of no better way to kick off National Park Week than to make available a book that combines two of America’s great passions: our love of beautiful and historic places and our enthusiasm for telling our nation’s story through our postage stamps,” Salazar said.

The 116-page book tells the fascinating story of America’s national parks through stamps and other memorabilia. It includes a visual tour of more than 75 parks and monuments. It also has a special stamp collecting section and comes with nine stamps with mounts, including the 8-cent 1972 Old Faithful/Yellowstone stamp. The book’s retail price is $49.95.

To purchase the postcards and the book, shop online at www.usps.com/shop or call 800-STAMP-24.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamped cards at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. Customers should place them in a larger envelope along with a self-addressed stamped return envelope and send them to:

Scenic American Landscapes Postal Cards
Special Cancellations
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC  20090-2282

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the stamped cards in the
pre-stamped return envelope. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by June 21, 2010.