Two projects focusing on the McCullough Peaks mustangs will be celebrated Saturday. The nonprofit group Friends of a Legacy (FOAL) is inviting the public to join them at 10 a.m. at its property, 27 miles east of Cody on the Greybull Highway.

FOAL sponsored one project, a six-panel, informational kiosk about the mustangs, and spearheaded the other — the designation of a stretch of U.S. 14/16/20 as the “Wild Horse Highway.” Donors contributed to the educational effort, while the Wyoming Legislature passed and Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill last winter that made the highway designation.

“FOAL is indebted to public support for the two projects, which were designed to educate residents and visitors alike about America’s national treasure in our backyard, the McCullough mustangs,” FOAL Board Chair Mary Scuffham said.

Confirmed speakers on Saturday will include representatives from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, FOAL and the Crow nation.

State Sens. Hank Coe, R-Cody, and Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, co-sponsored the state bill, along with state Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody. The Park County Commissioners endorsed the highway designation unanimously.

Travelers can sometimes spot the mustangs that roam on 120,000 acres managed by BLM north of the highway. The federal agency, with FOAL’s help, implements a fertility control program that keeps the herd at a sustainable level. Further, BLM and FOAL jointly operate a piping system that provides water to essential reservoirs, which benefit all the wildlife as well as cattle.

“FOAL hopes that the highway designation will alert drivers to the presence of the wild horse herd and that the kiosk will educate them about the mustangs’ history and behavior as well as the landscape they roam,” Scuffham said.

One panel displays a map of the designated dirt roads in the BLM that travelers with appropriate vehicles may wander to observe the horses. In addition, there are reminders about proper behavior around mustangs, especially to keep at least 300 feet away from them, Scuffham noted.

FOAL is a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to the protection and preservation of the McCullough mustangs. For further information, visit www.friendsofalegacy.org.