Block Island National Wildlife Refuge
A night heron flying over Cow Cove beach against a backdrop of the North Lighthouse.
Block Island National Wildlife Refuge is located at the northern tip of Block Island, off the shore of the state of Rhode Island. As an important resting place for migratory birds on their journeys, it preserves nature where beach, sand dunes, and thickets blend together.
On the reverse of the coin are engraved a black-crowned night heron flying over Cow Cove beach and, visible behind it, the North Lighthouse. It is a tranquil coastal scene in which bird, lighthouse, and sea blend together.
The black-crowned night heron is a waterbird that is active mainly around dusk and at night, searching for food in marshes and along the seashore. The way this bird flies freely shows that this island serves as a safe refuge for birds. The lighthouse behind it is a symbol of this island, having long served as a guide for boatmen.
This refuge was designated a nationally protected site on April 12, 1973, and has preserved the home of migratory birds and wildlife.
This coin from the ‘America the Beautiful’ series captures the wilderness of the waters off Rhode Island through a single bird and an old lighthouse.