Wild and Scenic Rivers Forever Stamps

Value: 78¢ First-Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 21, 2019
First Day City: Bend, Oregon
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 12

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the U.S. Postal Service issued 12 Forever stamps, each celebrating a different river protected under the Act.

The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at Tumalo State Park in Bend, Oregon, alongside the Deschutes River—one of more than 200 waterways preserved for their outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values.

Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act began with just eight designated rivers. By 2019, the system had grown to safeguard more than 200 rivers spanning 40 states and Puerto Rico.

Today, federal and state agencies, private landowners, and dedicated volunteers work together to keep these rivers clean, healthy, and free-flowing for future generations. As conservationist Brad Arrowsmith of Nebraska observed, “Boundaries don’t protect rivers—people do.”