Block Island America the Beautiful Quarter

The last of five coins to be struck in 2018 as part of the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program will be the 2018 Block Island America the Beautiful Quarter. It is also the forty-fifth coin out of 56 new strikes that will be created as part of the program.

Final designs for this quarter should be unveiled in early 2018 along with the other four quarter dollars to be released that year. Design candidates for all of the 2018 strikes will probably be available for review in the first part of 2017.

Since this is the last quarter struck for the year, it will be preceded by coins issued honoring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.

Block Island National Wildlife Refuge of Rhode Island

Established in 1973, twelve miles off the shore of Rhode Island, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge was started with a transfer of 28 acres from the United States Coast Guard.

Today, the refuge encompasses 127 acres and is most noted as a stop-over for over 70 species of migratory songbirds in the Atlantic flyway. Fall is the most popular time to visit the island for both the birds and those wanting to catch a glimpse of them.

Visitors to the refuge should call ahead and reserve a space aboard the Block Island ferry which departs from Narragansett, Rhode Island.

Of interest, the island claims the largest gull colony in the state.