September 29, 2008

Great Lakes Dunes Stamp Series: Michigan Sea Grant to Participate in First Day of Issue Ceremony in Empire, Michigan

The beauty and diversity of Great Lakes dunes—one of the largest freshwater dune systems on Earth—will be featured on a new series of stamps to be issued by the US Postal Service.

Michigan Sea Grant extension educator Mark Breederland will participate in the First Day of Issue Ceremony planned for October 2, 2008 at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Michigan. Breederland will give interpretive presentations about one of the 10 stamps to an estimated 200 elementary school students expected to attend the event, which coincides with National Stamp Collecting Month activities.

Breederland will interpret the stamp that features a spotted sandpiper shorebird, coastal dune vegetation, as well as the shore and currents of Lake Michigan in the backdrop. The Great Lakes Dunes stamp pane is tenth in a Nature of America series designed to promote appreciation of major plant and animal communities in the United States.

"It's great to see this well-deserved national recognition of the Great Lakes dunes ecosystem in the Nature of America stamp series,” said Breederland. “These dune systems are truly national treasures and I hope this publicity will encourage citizens from across North America to visit, value and assist in conserving these dynamic and fragile ecosystems."

In the Great Lakes region, sand dunes are one of the most striking coastal landforms. These dynamic landscapes, which are heavily influenced by onshore winds and fluctuating Great Lakes water levels, support a unique assemblage of plants and wildlife.

Two years ago to the day on October 2, 2006, Breederland hosted the first-ever Great Lakes-wide Dunes Conference in nearby Traverse City, Michigan in conjunction with New York Sea Grant. The conference brought together natural resource managers, researchers and interested citizens from Ontario and the Great Lakes states, who are working on collaboration and conservation strategies to protect Great Lakes dunes.

Visit the US Postal Service website to see an image of the Great Lakes dune stamp series: See: Example

Michigan Sea Grant, a joint program of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, is part of the NOAA National Sea Grant network of 30 university-based programs that conduct research, education and outreach to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes resources.

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