Bill Text: TX HR564 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-15 - Reported enrolled [HR564 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR564-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 564 |
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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 | ||