Great Plains Prairie (Nature of America), Full Sheet of 10 x 34-Cent Postage Stamps, USA 2001, Scott 3506

In 2001 the USPS issued the third in the Nature of America Series to promote appreciation of North America's major plant and animal communities. The Great Plains Prairie covers over a million square miles in the center of North America. It's an enormous, grass-covered plateau formed by erosion of the Rocky Mountains. Unreliable rainfall, cold winters, hot summers, and strong winds notwithstanding, the Prairie is home to hundreds of species of birds and animals. Prairie dogs are important to the Plains' ecosystem, which includes badgers, burrowing owls, pronghorns, Prairie rattlesnakes, mountain plovers, and Great Plains toads. The bison is native to the region and is tied to its history. First hunted by Native Americans, the bison were decimated during European settlement and the building of railroads. Conservation efforts have brought the bison back from near extinction and have helped protect other threatened creatures of the Great Plains Prairie. Features: Prairie Dogs, Badgers, Burrowing Owls, Pronghorns, Bison, Prairie Rattlesnakes, Mountain Plovers, Great Plains Toads.