Policy Statements » Letters from the President:
February 7, 2005
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
Stamp Development
US Postal Service
1735 North Lynn St., Rm. 5013
Arlington, VA 22209-6432
Dear Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee:
The Ecological Society of America, the nation’s leading professional society of 9,000 ecological scientists, would like to voice its support for the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign’s application for a “Pollinating Partners” stamp series. This initiative will raise public awareness about the links between plants, pollinators, human welfare, and food security, and bring attention to the current issues of pollinator decline and conservation.
Pollinators, which include over 100,000 species ranging from bees to hummingbirds to bats, play a starring role in the production of over 150 food crops in the U.S., including apples, peaches, plums, and squash. By transferring pollen grains from one flower to another, pollinators fertilize the seed-producing ovaries of flowers and America’s bounty of agricultural lands and gardens. In one year, a single southeastern blueberry bee, for example, visits about 50,000 blueberry flowers, producing over 6,000 marketable blueberries.
However, habitat loss and pesticide use are pushing many pollinators into serious decline—even as much of the public remains unaware of these creatures’ great value. The broad reach of U.S. stamps can help tremendously to inform the public and make a significant difference in conservation efforts aimed to help sustain pollinators.
We hope that you will give the “Pollinating Partners” series your full consideration. Please contact us if we can be of any assistance.
Sincerely,
Jerry M. Melillo
President
