In January of 2000, Executive Director Bob Hayes saw an opportunity for the Sawtooth Society to raise awareness and funds through an Idaho specialized license plate. The plate, featuring a mountain goat, has been an important revenue generator ever since.
Here at the Sawtooth Society, we are more than willing to tell you about our fabulous Goat Plate- and how to get your very own! But we were curious… how exactly did specialty plates originate?
A Celebratory Start
In 1976 America saw the first specialized plate created for the bicentennial celebration. From there, it grew considerably in each state. Today, even Puerto Rico claims to have six and there are as many as 800 in Maryland. Idaho currently boasts close to 50, with many plates being huge contributors to critical operations and projects within our state. Of course, the numbers ebb and flow as some plates face cancellation if they aren’t profitable. Fortunately for the Sawtooth Society’s Goat Plate, 100 percent of funds are granted out to other organizations for recreation enhancement projects within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
Manufacturing
Currently, most license plates are aluminum, and when it’s time for them to be replaced they can either be sold to collectors, recycled, or put to use in arts and crafts projects. And the makers of the plates? Most are being manufactured in correctional institutions with a few states contracting out to private companies.
Get Your Goat On!
We can’t thank you enough for your continued support of the Sawtooth Society Goat plate. And if you still don’t have one – join the club! Click here to get started.
