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		Return to Table of Contents MBL Scientist Lends Expertise to Design of New USPS Stamps Last summer the U.S. Postal Service issued 10 new commemorative postage stamps featuring the flora and fauna of Alaska’s arctic tundra. The stamps are integrated into a painting depicting a fall scene in the foothills of arctic Alaska. MBL Ecosystems Center co-director John Hobbie, along with two scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, consulted with stamps’ artist to help ensure an accurate and dynamic representation of life in the Arctic. The pane is the fifth in an educational “Nature of America” series promoting appreciation of North America’s major plant and animal communities. The previous issuances were Sonoran Desert, Pacific Coast Rain Forest, Great Plains Prairie, and Longleaf Pine Forest. “I recall that I talked the stamp organizers out of portraying charismatic arctic sea mammals and into painting a fall scene in the foothills,” says Hobbie. “The final product is much like Toolik.” Hobbie is referring to Toolik Lake. Located in the foothills region of the North Slope of Alaska, Toolik Lake is the site of the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project, one of 24 LTER projects across North America and Antarctica funded by the National Science Foundation. Hobbie is the Director of the Arctic LTER whose year-round base is at the Ecosystems Center. Arctic Tundra stamps are available by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 or online at <www.usps.com/shop>.