For Release:Sept. 25, 2001                              CA-N-01-82
Contact:Jeff Fontana (530) 257-5381

ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY WILL HIGHLIGHT
"LEGENDS OF THE WEST"

Wild horses and burros, living vestiges of America's wild west,  will be showcased to the world, thanks to today's  technology of the Internet, when the U. S. Bureau of Land Management hosts a special celebration Saturday, Oct. 13, in Roseville, Calif.

The BLM's California State Office will host children's games, free photo sessions and wild horse training demonstrations in the day-long event that will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of a law that provided federal protection for wild horses and burros.

The celebration will be broadcast on the World Wide Web in a live webcast organized by the BLM.  The broadcast runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"Anyone can watch the activities by logging on to www.ca.blm.gov, " said Richard Fagan, leader of the BLM's wild horse and burro program in California.  "We will have three cameras on site covering all aspects of the seven-hour event."

Concurrently with the celebration, the BLM will be holding a wild horse and burro adoption event, also at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville.  There, 80 wild horses and 20 wild burros will be available for public adoption.

Webcast cameras will be trained on the adoption event, allowing anyone unfamiliar with the BLM wild horse and burro adoption program to get a glimpse into how the adoption process works.

"This is a great way of using information technology to allow the public to become more directly involved in the Bureau´s resource management programs," said Rob Cervantes, chief information officer in BLM´s California state office. "By combining satellite and web technology, the public will be able to see wild horse and burro adoptions in real time from any place.  This combined technology can also be used in remote locations to allow the public to see other Bureau activities like fighting forest fires."

"We are excited to be using today's technology to share information about wild horses - links to America's western heritage," Fagan added.

Additional information on the webcast is available by contacting the BLM's California State Office (916) 978-4400.  Information on the BLM's Wild Horse Adoption Program is available by calling toll free, 1-866-4MUSTANGS.

California State Office    2800 Cottage Way   Sacramento, CA 95825