Cumberland Island National Seashore to be Featured in United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters(TM) Program

/PRNewswire/ -- The United States Mint announced today that the nation will honor Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia through its new quarter-dollar coin program. The Cumberland Island design will be the 44th to be featured on coins released under the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program, and will be issued in 2018.

Cumberland Island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Hiking in the pristine maritime forests, sunning on undeveloped beaches and bird watching in the wide marshes are among the favorite pastimes of island visitors. Cumberland Island contains four major historic districts and 87 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the oldest known ceramics in North America and shell middens from early natives. On Cumberland Island, you can follow the stories of both man and nature, and walk the paths of early natives, explorers, and wealthy industrialists. It was established as a national site in 1972.

The United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program is a multi-year initiative authorized by Public Law 110-456 -- the America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008. The Act directs the United States Mint to mint and issue 56 circulating quarter-dollar coins with reverse (tails side) designs emblematic of a national park or other national site in each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories -- Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. The quarters will be issued sequentially each year, in the order in which the featured site was first established as a national park or site. The coins' obverse (heads) will feature a restored version of the familiar 1932 portrait of George Washington, including subtle details and the beauty of the original model.

The complete National Site Registry, which lists all 56 sites to be honored under the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program in chronological order by year, is available at http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/NSQuartersProgram/?action=siteRegister.

"These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites -- majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us 'America the Beautiful,'" United States Mint Director Ed Moy said. "The designs will help reinvigorate interest in our national parks, forests, fish and wildlife refuges, and other national sites, as well as educate the public about their importance to us and our history."

Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner approved the list of sites recommended by the United States Mint on August 25, 2009, after consultation with the governor or chief executive of each host jurisdiction and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

"The America the Beautiful series demonstrates our nation's commitment to the legacy of conservation while celebrating its natural beauty," said Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios. "Like other commemorative coins, these quarters will be a valuable addition to the U.S. Mint's collection."

"Since our Nation's founding, our coins have celebrated American ideals such as liberty and justice, our rich history and heritage, and the great Presidents and other leaders who have guided us," Salazar said. "I am pleased that these new quarters will now celebrate America the Beautiful, the spectacular natural wonders that are found in our national parks, wildlife refuges and public lands."

"From Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon to White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, America's landscape is blessed with unmatched beauty," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the National Forest Service, said. "Our national forests are national treasures and honoring them is an important step in preserving them for future generations."

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Man's Best Friend Can Be an Unwelcome Guest on the Beach

When it comes to nesting shorebirds, man’s best friend can be an unwelcome intruder on Georgia’s beaches. With summer just around the corner, the state Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division encourages travelers to give birds a better chance of survival by leaving their dog at home when visiting the beach. This is especially important from April through July, the breeding season for Georgia’s native beach-nesting birds.

Residents on barrier islands can also help by keeping their cats indoors, since even well-fed cats are inclined to kill birds.

“Nesting shorebirds already face daunting natural dangers such as high spring tides and native predators,” said Brad Winn, coastal program manager for Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section. “Birds that nest right on the beach do not tolerate the added pressure from pet dogs and free-ranging cats.

“Dogs harass adult shorebirds, eat eggs and kill chicks. Cats actively hunt in the dunes, killing adult shorebirds and chicks. We can do better as stewards of our wildlife.”

While Wildlife Resources encourages leaving dogs behind when visiting the beach, dogs are actually banned on certain islands protected by Georgia Board Rule 391-4-7. Williamson Island in Chatham County and Pelican Spit in Glynn County are open to the public but closed to dogs. Three sand spit islands are closed to the public and pets year-round: the sandy spit seaward of the north end of St. Catherines Island in Liberty County, Little Egg Island Bar in the mouth of the Altamaha River in Glynn County, and the small marsh island in the mouth of the Satilla River in Camden County.

Beach-nesting birds such as the Wilson’s plover, listed as threatened in Georgia, prefer to nest above the high-tide line on wide, terraced beach flats or in the dunes. They lay eggs on the beach in shallow scrapes in the sand. After hatching, the chicks hide on the beach or in the grass. Disturbance by humans and pets can cause adult birds to abandon the nests and young chicks, exposing them to predators and excessive heat from the sun.

“We are down to only one pair of Wilson’s plovers nesting on Jekyll Island,” Winn said. “The Jekyll Island Authority recognizes the impact of unleashed dogs and feral cats on the island’s native wildlife and has developed an ordinance to ensure the survival of some of it’s rarest birds.”

Jekyll is the only island readily accessible to the public that still has beach-nesting birds for the public to watch and enjoy.

In addition to providing critical nesting habitat, Georgia’s beaches also serve as key wintering and stopover points for seabird and shorebird species such as the red knot, piping plover, whimbrel, black skimmer, American oystercatcher, brown pelican and royal tern. Birds from as far away as the Arctic region come through Georgia as they follow migration routes to and from South America. East Beach near Saint Simons Island becomes a huge sand flat, supporting large numbers of feeding shorebirds during migration and winter months. Owners who allow their dogs to chase shorebirds could be fined for harassing federally protected species like piping plovers.

“Please do not feed feral cats, (and) keep pet cats indoors and leave your dogs at home when you head to the beach,” Winn said. “Your pets and Georgia’s wildlife will be better off as a result.”

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Despite Storms, Georgia Sea Turtle Nest Counts Top Record

Cooler weather has come to Georgia’s coast and with it the close of a record-breaking nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles. Due to storm impacts, however, a nest success rate slightly lower than normal is expected for the federally threatened species.

The good news is that 1,646 loggerhead nests were counted on barrier island beaches this summer. Cumberland and Blackbeard islands recorded the highest number of nests at 336 and 261, respectively. The season total represents a record year in Georgia, breaking the previous mark of 1,504 nests set in 2003. Last year’s total dipped to 688, the third lowest since daily monitoring effort began in 1989.

Federal criteria require at least 2,000 nests a year for a 25-year period for the species to be considered recovered.

In August, Tropical Storm Fay swept through the waters off coastal Georgia, creating a tidal surge that inundated and washed away some nests. The lack of a direct hit on the barrier islands tempered the storm’s effect. However, loggerhead nests still felt the impact.

Researchers and volunteers reported that high tides from Fay damaged approximately 8 percent of the nests. Probably another 25 percent were inundated multiple times, which can affect nest success.

“Generally we have about a 70 percent success rate,” said Mark Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section. “We expect that this year it will be a little lower than normal. Luckily, approximately 50 percent of the nests had already hatched at the time of the storm, so we expect to still have a pretty good year for hatchling production.”

Final nest success numbers are tallied from multiple databases and will be released by early 2009.

Loggerheads, the most common sea turtle on Georgia’s coast, are state-listed as endangered. The nesting season runs from May through September.

Georgians can help conserve sea turtles and other animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as native plants and habitats, through buying wildlife license plates that feature a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff. Both programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds.

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