Mount Hood National Forest Quarter
The fifth coin to be released under the America the Beautiful Quarters Program is also the first not to depict a national park. The Oregon 2010 Mount Hood National Forest Site Quarter will instead be emblematic of the national forest area which was first set aside by the government in 1892.
A final quarter design has yet to be chosen, although several have been created by the United States Mint and offered up for review. (See all four design candidates below.)
Both the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the United States Commission of Fine Arts chose the same design candidate for the Mount Hood quarter known as OR-03. This relatively simple design shows Mt. Hood in the distance with Lost Lake in the foreground.
Given both recommendations, the Director of the US Mint will forward his suggestions to the Secretary of the Treasury who is given the final decision. Once his decision has been announced, a release date for the quarter of late 2010 is expected to be given.
 Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-01 (Click to Enlarge) |
 Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-02 (Click to Enlarge) |
 Mount Hood Forest Site Quarter Design OR-03 (Click to Enlarge) |
 Mount Hood Site Forest Quarter Design OR-04 (Click to Enlarge) |
Mount Hood National Forest Information
Mt. Hood was named after a respected admiral of the the British Navy, Lord Samuel Hood. This name was given in 1792, but the area remained virtually untouched for the next 100 years.
Conscious of its immense beauty and pristine environment, the area was put under the protection of the federal government in 1892 as part of the Bull Run Forest Reserve. In 1924, it was renamed Mount Hood National Forest.
Located only 20 miles east of Portland, Oregon, Mount Hood consists of more than 1 million acres of mountains, streams, lakes and forests. As such, more than 4 million annual visitors enjoy the multiple features that the Forest has to offer such as hunting, fishing, skiing and camping among many others.
Over 25% of the land has been designated as wilderness, which directs the Forest Service to restrain human influences on the habitat of that area.