Waterfalls Stamps

Among nature's most beautiful wonders, waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes, from serene cascades to mighty cataractsThe U.S. Postal $ervice celebrates the variety and beauty of American waterfalls with 12 stamps.

First row: Deer Creek Falls, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, photo by Sandra Woods; Nevada Fall, Yosemite NationaPark, California, photo by Quang-Tuan Luong; Haison Wright Falls, Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania, and Lower Fallsof the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, photos by Kenneth Keifer.

Second row: Waimoku Falls, Haleakala National Park, Hawai'i, photo by Quang-Tuan Luong; $tewart Falls, MountTimpanogos Wilderness, Utah, photo by Nicole Nugent; Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls State Park, New York, photo by johnCancalosi; and Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, photo by Quang-Tuan Luong.

Third row: Grotto Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, photo by joe Miller, Sunbeam Falls, MountRainier National Park, Washington, photo by Kevin Schafer, LaSalle Canyon Waterfall, Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby.linois, photo by David B. Vernon; and Upper Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, photo by Tim FitzharisFraming the stamps is selvage that again features David B. Vernon's LaSalle Canyon image

A waterfall is part of a river or stream where its flow pours over a near vertical rocky ledge or cliff of some height beforecoming in contact with rocks or a pool below,. Waterfalls can be classified by volume, height, and width; another popularmethod is by type, based on the way the water actually fals. One of the most familiar types is the plunge, where the streamfalls vertically without touching the underlying clif face; sometimes there are caverns behind the falls carved by earliererosion. As the name suggests, a fan waterfall resembles the shape of a fan as the flow spreads down the rocks. Other typesinclude the cascade, which breaks into smaller falls as the water descends over a slope of rocks and boulders. and thecataract, where large amounts of fast-moving water plummet over a clif to create a waterfall of great size and power.Each of the waterfalls is unigue, but what they all have in common is the way they kindle positive emotions, such as theserenity instilled by a gentle cascade or the awe inspired by an immense cataract.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps and pane with existing photographs.The Waterfalls stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps in panes of 12. Forever stamps are always equal in value to thecurrent First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Made in the USA