The United Nations Postal Administration is offering six mini-sheets of four stamps created by marine life artist Wyland to mark the 50th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, a forum of 129 member states that promotes cooperation in researching and protecting the ocean.

The "One Ocean, One Planet" set is available in English (44 cents, 98 cents), German, and French. The stamps are legal postage only when mailed from U.N. facilities, so you can't use them on your letters here, but they're popular with stamp collectors.

Order the mini-sheets at unstamps.un.org. For more about Wyland, see www.wyland.com.

Learn about the plight of our own endangered Hawaiian monk seal at this month's Natural Treasures of Hawaii lecture, 6 p.m. Wednesday at ING Direct Cafe in Waikīkī.

Jeff Walters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will present "Saving Hawai'i's Monk Seal," which addresses why the population of fewer than 1,200 is declining by 4 percent a year. Walters oversees management and policy tied to seal population recovery and will talk about that. A question-and-answer session will follow the free 30-minute talk. Find out more at www.hawaiiconservation.org.

— Maureen O'Connell