by Gazette staff

Olympic National Park will be featured on a quarter starting in 2011.

The coin is part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program through the United States Mint and depicts a Roosevelt elk standing in the Hoh River with a view of Mount Olympus in the background.

“It’s an iconic image of Olympic National Park,” park spokesman Barb Maynes said.

The park started working with the U.S. Mint about a year ago to develop a design, she said. The program, which will feature a park in each state and territory, chose Olympic National Park to represent Washington, she said.

Maynes said the elk depiction is symbolic because the park was formed largely to protect the Roosevelt elk herd, which at 5,000 head is now the largest herd in the Pacific Northwest.

Maynes said park staff and Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office helped narrow down the design from four possibilities.

The final design was by AIP master designer Susan Gamble and was sculpted by United States Mint sculptor/engraver Michael Gaudioso.

For more information about the America the Beautiful Quarter Program go to www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/atb/.