Two Cabinet secretaries participated in the Idaho quarter launch ceremony Aug. 3 in Boise. From left, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, Mint Director Ed Moy, Idaho Treasurer Ron Crane and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne place a large Idaho quarter image on the Mint?s 50 State Quarters Map. Paulson praised the Idaho design.
?The Idaho quarter design includes a striking image of the peregrine falcon. When this spectacular bird was listed as an endangered species in 1970, its population had been reduced to just 324 known nesting pairs. While it may not seem that the minting of a quarter and the conservation of a species have much in common, in fact, they do. Both represent successful models of government and citizen cooperation.? Kempthorne, a former mayor of Boise and U.S. senator and governor of Idaho, said, ?The greatest gift we have been given is our state?s natural beauty, and we have a sacred responsibility to protect and preserve it.?
After the ceremony, Paulson, Kempthorne, Moy and Crane handed out Idaho quarters to children in the crowd. Adults could exchange paper money for $10 rolls of Idaho quarters.
