U.S. Mint art for the top contenders for the El Yunque National Forest quarter design.
The U.S. Mint presented 5 finalist designs for the first new 2012 National Park quarter featuring El Yunque National Forest, located on the U.S. Territorial island of Puerto Rico and the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. Two of the designs feature a waterfall, two others focus on exotic wildlife indigenous to El Yunque, and one design depicts a parrot and a stone fortress tower.
The designs are reviewed by the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of the host jurisdiction, the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. Both the CFA and CCAC have endorsed design PR-04, depicting an endangered Coqui tree frog and a threatened Puerto Rican parrot. The frog is perched on a leaf, while the parrot is behind an epiphyte plant with tropical flora in the background.
After receiving and evaluating recommendations from all required sources, the Director of the U.S. Mint will make final recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury – who will make the final decision.
