2018 Block Island National Wildlife Refuge - San Francisco - Proof

2018 Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Quarter
Forty-Fifth in the America the Beautiful Quarters Collections

Block Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1973 on the northern end of Block Island, which is located about 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of five component parts of the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, but it is the only one that is located offshore. The only way to reach the island is by boat or airplane; ferries run from Newport and Point Judith, Rhode Island, and Montauk, New York.

The Block Island refuge covers 133 acres and is a critical link in the Atlantic Flyway bird migration route. One of the East Coast’s most important migratory bird habitats, it attracts more than 250 species of birds who stop there throughout the year – including more than 70 species of migratory songbirds in the fall – making it internationally renowned for spectacular bird-watching opportunities. In addition, the refuge protects 15 rare and endangered species, most notably the American burying beetle and the piping plover shorebird, and it is home to the largest gull colony in Rhode Island.

The most famous sight on Block Island is the historic North Light lighthouse at Sandy Point, which dates to 1867. The lighthouse was built of granite with an iron tower, and it stands 55 feet high.

The reverse of the 2018 Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Quarter features a black-crowned night-heron flying over Cow Cove, with a view towards Sandy Point and the North Light lighthouse in the background.

This is the San Francisco Minted, proof quarter in a capsule.

2018 Block Island National Wildlife Refuge - San Francisco - Proof