H.R. No. 564
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is
celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2019, providing a fitting
occasion to pay tribute to its success in educating generations of
Americans in the prevention of wildfires; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, many firefighters were away at
war, and the prevention of forest fires and wildfires became a
matter of urgent importance across the nation; the USDA Forest
Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention program in
1944, with the help of the War Advertising Council and the National
Association of State Foresters; and
WHEREAS, The program's first poster featured characters from
the Disney animated film Bambi, but later that year, artist Albert
Staehle created a poster featuring a bear pouring a bucket of water
on a campfire, and Smokey Bear was born; in 1950, an orphaned bear
cub survived a forest fire in New Mexico and was placed in the
National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where until his death in 1976 he
served as a living symbol of Smokey Bear; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, the program's slogan evolved from
"Smokey Says - Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires" to the
more memorable "Remember. . .Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires,"
and in 2001, it was updated again to "Only You Can Prevent
Wildfires" to emphasize that not all natural fires occur in
forests; many Americans of a certain age remember the popular tune
"Smokey the Bear," in which the songwriters inserted "the" into
Smokey's official name to maintain the rhythm of the song; and
WHEREAS, The longest-running public service campaign in the
nation's history, the Smokey Bear program has been credited with
reducing the number of acres lost across the nation each year to
fire from 9.1 million to 8.5 million; the campaign remains vital
through the ongoing partnership of the USDA Forest Service, the
Texas A&M Forest Service, the National Association of State
Foresters, and the Ad Council; and
WHEREAS, Now three-quarters of a century old, Smokey Bear is
one of the world's most recognized characters, and today he
continues to instruct new generations of Texans on the prevention
of human-caused wildfires and the preservation of the scenic beauty
of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Smokey
Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign and extend to all those
associated with the program sincere best wishes for continued
success.
Ashby
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 564 was adopted by the House on March
13, 2019, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House