2020 $7.75 Priority Prestamped Envelope- Big Bend

 U.S. #5429

2020 $7.75 Big Bend – Priority Mail

Value:  $7.75 Priority Mail Rate

Issue Date:  January 18, 2020

Type of Stamp:  Definitive

Printed by:  Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.

Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint

Format:  Pane of 4

Self-Adhesive

Quantity Printed:  6,000,000

Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert habitat in the US.  The Rio Grande River runs through the park and marks the boundary between the United States and Mexico.

Big Bend National Park spans over 801,163 acres.  Within that area are over 1,200 species of plants, 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals.  These include colorful wildflowers, impressive cacti, and unusual animals like javelina (similar to a wild hog), greater roadrunners, and more.  The park is also home to extraordinary archaeological sites dating back almost 10,000 years of human history.  Fossils and dinosaur bones have also been found in the area.  Since park elevation varies from 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to 7,832 feet at Emory Peak, there are a wide variety of temperatures and moisture levels throughout the park.

At night, the skies of Big Bend National Park boast billions and billions of stars.  In fact, the National Park Service determined Big Bend has the darkest skies in the continental United States.  It was designated an international dark-sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2012.

With all its history and natural beauty, Big Bend is a park everyone should visit.