American Eagle Foundation Teams with eBay to Offer High-Flying Holiday Season Auction

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For Immediate Release

American Eagle Foundation Teams with eBay to Offer High-Flying Holiday Season Auction

Right to 'Name An American Eaglet' Featured

PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE, Oct. 29 -/E-Wire/-- Reaching out for financial aid to help the U.S.A.'s national bird, the American Eagle Foundation has joined forces with eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) to present a "Friends Of Eagles Auction' that will take wing on November 1-10, 2001. The on-line fundraiser offers conservation-minded philanthropists and corporations a unique sponsorship opportunity ... the regal right to name a majestic young American eagle to be released into the Great Smoky Mountains area next July.

That special honor and other valuable benefits will be granted to the most generous bidder. The non-profit bird protection group hopes to attract a patron with the vision and spirit to preserve Bald Eagles for the twenty-first century and beyond.

"It's a rare privilege that would make a splendid gift for a patriotic, nature loving person or company,' said Foundation president Al Cecere. "A corporate sponsor could enhance their business image while protecting a magnificent national treasure.'

The program will be featured during the launch of eBay's 2001 holiday season charity promotion ... "The Greatest Gift Of All.'

Donation pledges for the "Name An American Eaglet' portion of the "Friends Of Eagles Auction will start at $25,000 and support the Foundation's 'American Eagle Fund." The Auction will also offer numerous original and limited edition eagle art and photo prints created by nationally known wildlife/nature artists and photographers.

Information about the auction and other ways to help the cause can be obtained at the Foundation's WWW.EAGLES.ORG website and eBay's charity page starting November 1, 2001.

"This is a public and family-oriented program, so we'd prefer an inspirational or historical name for the eaglet,' said Cecere. "We've established guidelines to ensure that the chosen name is fitting for ournational bird and the American heritage it represents.'

The top contributor will be invited to present their check during a Spring 2002 press conference (possibly on Earth Day) to be held at the Foundation's new eagle center in Pigeon Forge. Details about the July 2002 eaglet name unveiling and release ceremony will be announced at that time.

That prestigious event will be a high-profile media moment celebrating the historic recovery of the U.S.A.'s living symbol of Independence. Celebrities will be on hand when the named eaglet is quietly introduced to the wild. The person or company choosing the bird's name will assist in pulling a rope that opens the gate to set it free (along with other eaglets).

The memorable occasion will be video taped and photographed for Internet and satellite distribution to both national and international media as an educational program. Also, a world-wide audience will be able to see beautiful video-streamed camera images of the birds taking their first freedom flight via the Foundation's WWW.EAGLES.ORG website.

"We've had years of experience with this kind of re-population effort involving hundreds of eaglets,' says Cecere. "Our methods are time-tested and proven.'

At six weeks of age, the eaglet and its companions will be placed in a man-made nesting tower overlooking a secluded lake shore in East Tennessee. They will acclimate to nature there until fully grown and ready for flight at twelve weeks old. While in the tower, the birds will be cared for and observed by Foundation staff with minimum human contact to keep them wild. Wing markers and tail transmitters help monitor their progress.

"The Bald Eagle has made a dramatic comeback to our lands, waterways and skies since the early 1960's, but it's not yet home free,' says Cecere. "Much work still needs to be done. On a national scale, there's little governmental funding to care for threatened eagles and habitat for the future. We must secure the recovery progress already made, and manage further efforts with private donations. That's what this auction is all about. The sky is the limit.'

The Foundation, headquarted at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization dedicated to public environmental education and the recovery of the U.S.A.'s threatened national symbol, the Bald Eagle. The Foundation is recognized as a national leader in bald eagle conservation.

American Eagle Foundation

http://http://www.eagles.org

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