This sheet of 16 postage stamps feauturing Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century was issued on February 1, 1999 by the Pacific island nation of Palau.

Top row:

The sheet begins with a colorful Rachel Carson stamp. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. She also is pictured on a 17¢ U.S. Great Americans definitive (regular-issue) stamp released May 28, 1981 (Scott #1857), which you can see together with some First Day Covers on our Rachel Carson Stamps Page. .

The next stamp features a stamp-on-stamp design. It pictures J.N. “Ding” Darling, the designer of the first U.S. duck stamp (RW1), plus an image of that 1934 duck stamp.

The remaining two stamps in the first row commemorate David Brower, long-time Executive Director of the Sierra Club, and the founder of Friends of the Earth, and the Earth Island Institute, and famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Second Row:

The second row starts with a stamp saluting Roger Tory Petersen, who is known for his bird field guides.

The next design depicts Prince Philip, husband of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Philip has raised millions of dollars for programs to save endangered animals.

Literary naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch is featured on the next design. A noted writer about the wonders of nature in Arizona’s Sonoran desert, and an ardent conservationist, you can learn more about Krutch on our Joseph Wood Krutch Author Page.

The last design in the second row depicts Aldo Leopold smoking a pipe. Leopold was the author of A Sand County Almanac.

Third Row:

Dian Fossey, whose life with the gorillas in Rwanda was detailed in the book and film Gorillas in the Mist, is pictured with gorillas on the first stamp in the third row.

Her first name is misspelled “Diane” on the stamp.

The third stamp in the third row depicts David Attenborough, a producer of movie documentaries on ecological issues. He also is an author. A television screen showing a chambered nautilus is illustrated on the Attenborough stamp.

The next stamp commemorates Paul D. McCready, an engineer who creates solar-powered vehicles. A solar-powered aircraft is pictured behind him on the stamp.

Fourth Row:

The first two stamps in the bottom row honor musicians: Sting (Gordon Sumner) and Paul Winter. Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, founded the Rainforest Foundation International.

Winter’s music incorporates the sounds of nature and emphasizes environmental themes. This is illustrated on the stamp by a howling wolf.

The next-to-last design depicts landscape architect and planner and author Ian McHarg (1920 – 2001). In his influential 1969 book, Design with Nature, he wrote that ecological considerations should determine architectural decisions.

The final design features Earth Day founder Denis Hayes.

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