Canada Post and Ireland's An Post Team Up to Deliver New Stamps
On April 22, Canada Post celebrated Earth Day by jointly issuing a pair of postage stamps with Ireland’s post office An Post. The stamps are a showcase of the extraordinary, yet fragile beauty of Mother Nature as witnessed in Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta) and Killarney National Park (Ireland). Both parks are recognized as Biosphere Reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Biospheres are living laboratories that consist of areas of coastal and inland ecosystems. Biosphere Reserves are internationally recognized by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere program. Sites are chosen against a set criteria focusing on conservation, development and support for research, and education demonstrating a balanced relationship between people and nature.
“The stamps, the first ever joint issue between Canada and Ireland, will be jointly issued at the domestic rate (50¢) in Canada and for domestic use in Ireland. The Canadian stamp was designed by Xerxes Irani and his design team at Calgary’s nonfiction studios inc., while the Irish stamp was designed by Killarney artist Finbarr O’Connor.
Waterton Biosphere Reserve and National Park is situated in the extreme south-west of the Province of Alberta and covers an area of more than 52,000 hectares. The park is primarily an early spring to late fall destination point for approximately 400,000 annual visitors.
Since 1901, when the biodiversity of the area was recognized, five major environments have been identified in the area – prairie, parkland, montane, sub-alpine and alpine. Specific plants and animals characterize each zone.
The area became known as Waterton Lakes National Park in 1911 and is Canada’s fourth national park, the smallest in the Canadian Rockies. The park was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1979. In 1995, UNESCO also designated the Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park as a World Heritage Site.
Located just south-west of the city of Killarney in south-west Ireland, Killarney National Park comprises the mountains and woodlands surrounding Lough Leane Lake and adjacent smaller lakes, moorlands, parks and gardens.
It was Ireland's first National Park and came into being in 1932 when the Muckross Estate (the core of the present day National Park) was donated to the country. The park covers more than 10,000 hectares of mountain, moorland, woodland, waterways, parks and gardens.
A major geological boundary occurs within the Park, that combined with the climatic influence of the gulf stream and the wide range of altitudes in the Park, gives rise to an unusual and varied ecology. UNESCO designated Killarney National Park as a Biosphere Reserve in 1982.
Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, and can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post’s website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550.
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