Idaho’s depiction on state quarters lacking

I’m sure that you have seen the state quarters. This is the eighth year in a 10-year program by the U.S. Mint to commemorate the 50 statehoods. Five states a year, in order of admission to the Union, have an image indicative of some aspect of their state engraved on the back of a half-billion or so quarters.

Idaho was a late bloomer at number 43. Our state achieved statehood in 1890, a year after Montana and Washington, and one week prior to Wyoming. Idaho’s quarter will be the third out in 2007.

Washington went through a much-publicized selection process for its image. There was a committee headed by the governor’s husband, publication of the finalist designs, an online public vote, and a grand unveiling of the governor’s choice.

This being Idaho, there was little notice of any of the process. The final design was chosen by a governor in a hurry to get out of town, the new governor was not informed, and an Idaho Statesman journalist found out about the design on a U.S. Treasury Web site.

The reporter was going to publish a scoop so the governor – who knew nothing of the design – called a hurried press conference to announce our quarter several months after it was all said and done. As I’ve written before, it all fits with Idaho’s unique history.

So, what do we have to represent Idaho? For now let me just put your fears to rest – it’s not a potato.

Some states have great representations. Florida has the space shuttle and a Spanish ship. Georgia has a peach – although I wonder if parts of Georgia hate the peach as much as we hate the potato. Kentucky has a horse. Minnesota has a lake. New York has the Statue of Liberty. North Carolina and Ohio both have the Wright brothers’ flight. Oregon has Crater Lake. South Dakota has Mount Rushmore. Tennessee has a guitar and a fiddle. Texas, of course, has one big star. And Wisconsin has cheese.

No surprises there. But Arkansas has a diamond. Connecticut has a big tree. Kansas has a bison. Louisiana claims the whole Central United States. Nebraska has a hill. I’m not sure what’s going on with Nevada. And New Hampshire has a geological feature that has since fallen off the mountain.

OK, with that as context, what would you expect for Idaho – besides a potato? Perhaps the state outline with our state flower and state butterfly? Rejected. How about rolling hills and mountains? Rejected.

How about the outline of the state with a prominent star for Boise? Who, up here at least, cares where Boise is? Actually, who besides a resident of Boise cares where Boise is? As far as I could tell, only two or three other states indicated their capitals. Why did Idaho? Have you actually been to Boise? Why would you want to flaunt it?

But then here’s the real corker. Taking up half of the space is the head and shoulders of a bird. Now I’d be one of the last to complain about a bird on a quarter. I write a monthly column on birds. My life’s passion has been birds since I was 15.

California has the California condor on its quarter. Arkansas has a duck, Louisiana has a pelican, Minnesota has a loon, South Carolina has a wren, presumably a Carolina wren, and South Dakota has a pheasant. All these birds have strong ties to their respective states.

What is Idaho’s prominently displayed bird? A falcon’s head and shoulder is on our quarter. Now, falcons are great birds, and the peregrine falcon is a really great falcon. Peregrines have had it rough. DDT almost wiped them out. They were saved from the brink of extinction by captive breeding programs, the foremost one being the Peregrine Fund just outside Boise.

But who knew that? Is Idaho known the nation over for its peregrine falcons? I think not. The incredibly beautiful mountain bluebird is our state bird. I have one on my license plate. Most peregrine falcons in Idaho are semidomesticated, live in cities and eat pigeons.

Finally, our quarter has the Latin inscription, “Esto perpetua,” from the “Great Seal of the State of Idaho.” For one thing, many in Idaho have trouble with English, let alone understanding Latin. For another, “Esto perpetua” means “mayest thou endure forever.”

As I have written before, we don’t call our locale northern Idaho, but North Idaho. There are plenty who would rather see the state of Boise go off on its own and leave North Idaho to its own. Besides, the state seal has an elk on it and no citified falcons.

Well, there’s nothing to be done now. I haven’t seen Montana’s design, but I bet it makes sense. Oregon and Washington both have fine exemplifiers to represent them. We have Boise. Oh joy. I’m glad I don’t collect the darn things.