The South Florida community is abuzz with the upcoming release of the Pollinator stamp series and a presentation by the Hollywood Postmaster.

Hollywood Postmaster Mike Fortunato will be a featured guest speaker at a special event to kick off “National Pollinator Week” (June 24-30). On Sunday, June 24, Fortunato will present an enlargement of the stamp series at 1:30 PM in Mangrove Hall at the Ann Kolb Nature Center located at 751 Sheridan Street in Hollywood. Admission is free and is open to the public.

Fortunato’s presentation will be part of a “Bee In” featuring guest speakers, boat rides, pollinator adventure hikes, and various booths to educate the public on the environment and the importance of pollinators.  Licensed Nutritional Counselor Julie Gerber will demonstrate cooking with honey, and the Kids Ecology Corps will provide children’s entertainment.  Activities are scheduled from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

Fortunato will be joined by Dr. Bill Kern of the University of Florida who will discuss problems facing bee populations. Brendhan Horne, Vice President, Palm Beach County Beekeeper’s Association, will discuss beekeeping.

The 20-stamp booklet features four wildflowers and four pollinators and emphasizes the ecological relationship between pollinators and plants.  Pollination, the transfer of pollen within flowers, or from one flower to another of the same species, is the basis for fruit and seed production. Nearly 80% of the world's crop plants require pollination. Birds, bees, butterflies, but also beetles, mosquitoes, and even bats, transfer pollen between seed plants. This function is vital for plant reproduction.

To learn more about the importance of Pollinators, visit: www.pollinator.org.

(For high resolution stamp reproduction, go to usps.com, select “About USPS & News,” then “Newsroom,” “News Releases,” and scroll to “The 2007 Commemorative Stamp Program.”)

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