River stamp series available

BY TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood — The Wild and Scenic River postage stamp set from the U.S. Postal Service is now available and to celebrate the Ottawa National Forest will host a hiking event to Kakabika Falls along the Ontonagon River that is depicted in one of the featured stamps.

“A lot of people are buying the stamps,” said Pam Franti, the postmaster of Ontonagon, Mich.

The Post Office announced the series in November 2018 and the stamps were expected to come in the fall of 2019, Franti said. The stamps were suddenly available on May 21 and so there wasn’t really enough time for the local post office to plan an event, she said.

“But there is a hike,” she said.

The Ottawa National Forest is hosting the Kakabika and Yondota Falls hike on June 15, she said. The public event visits two lesser-known, but accessible waterfalls in Gogebic County, including Kakabika Falls on the Cisco Branch of the Ontonagon River that is the scene depicted on the featured stamp, she said.

The hike starts at 10 a.m. EDT, or 9 a.m. CDT, from the Kakabika Falls trailhead, which is 12.4 miles east of Marenisco, and 15 miles west of Watersmeet on Country Road 527, also known as Thayer Road, which is about one half-mile north of U.S. Highway 2. Kakabika Falls is just 0.1 mile from the trailhead.

The hike follows with a 16 mile drive west to Yondota Falls, north of Marenisco on the Presque Isle River. The hike to Yondota Falls is just 0.3 miles.

Participants should bring boots, water, camera and a walking stick. Bring a picnic lunch to eat on the rocks by Yondota Falls. For information on the hike, call Ian Shackleford of the Forest Service at 906-285-6911 or email [email protected].

The U.S. Postal Service created the Wild and Scenic Rivers stamp set to recognize 12 of the more than 200 river segments totaling 13,000 miles that are protected by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The rivers are part of the 3 million river miles across 41 states and Puerto Rico.

The river sections are protected for fish and wildlife, geology, recreation and cultural or historical significance.

“The stamps have been selling,” said Beth Shepard, a postal clerk at the Ironwood Post Office.

The stamps are “Forever stamps,” which means that they can be used to send a standard 1-ounce first class letter even after the postage rates increase in the future.