K6103

National Marine Sanctuaries

Humpback Whale & Monk Seal

Cover Announcement 

This lovely set of nine Collins First Day Covers is being offered at one per month. There are a total of sixteen beautiful starnps in the set, and they highlight the abundant wildlife and diverse ecosystems that can be found throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System. Some of my covers feature one stamp, and the others have two. My hand-painted cachets are directly coordinated with the individual stamps in the set. The stamps themselves range from two of the "Jumbo" stamps to various vertical and horizontal pairings. These individually hand painted cachets are very detailed and unique.

Marine sanctuaries are protected waters that include habitats such as rocky reefs, kelp forests, deepsea canyons, and underwater archeological sites. These preserves provide a safe habitat for species close to extinction or they protect historically significant shipwrecks. Each sanctuary site is a unique place that needs special protections. They form part of a larger network called the National Marine Sanctuary System, which consists of protected areas that encompass marine life and waters from the East Coast to American Samoa in the Pacific, from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to the Gulf of Mexico. The sanctuary system currently comprises fifteen national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments.

Supporting some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, U.S. national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments preserve habitats that are especially vital for the survival of threatened and endangered species and safeguard important feeding and breeding grounds. They also help preserve significant aspects of the nation's maritime history and celebrate the ancient sites, cultural artifacts, and living traditions of the indigenous peoples who have inhabited these regions for many centuries.

It was most gratifying to bring these National Marine Sanctuaries together into one comprehensive cachet-making look at the intriguing and diverse locations.