Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Sally Summers and a group of wildhorse advocates wave at traffic on Carson Street on Thursday morning after a short ceremony celebrating the release of the new Horse Power specialty license plates.
Wild horse activists celebrated Thursday as the Department of Motor Vehicles issued the first license plates designed to help preserve Nevada's wild horses and burros.
Shirley Allison, of Horse Power, said plate number one is being auctioned off and Mortgage America has bid $7,000 for it. But there was reportedly an even higher bid.
A portion of the proceeds from the plates as they are issued will go toward preservation of horses and burros.
Allison said Horse Power hopes to use some of the money to help those who have been providing feed to the herds in rural Nevada.
Executive Director of the group, Sally Summers read a proclamation from Gov. Jim Gibbons setting June 21 as a day in recognition of Nevada's wild horses and burros.
The plate features a rearing white mustang on a blue background with several smaller images of burros. The design was created by artist James McKew of Carson City.