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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 474
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WHEREAS, The Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is |
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celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2019, providing a fitting |
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occasion to pay tribute to its success in educating generations |
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of Americans in the prevention of wildfires; and |
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WHEREAS, During World War II, many firefighters were away at |
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war, and the prevention of forest fires and wildfires became a |
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matter of urgent importance across the nation; the United States |
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Department of Agriculture Forest Service organized the Cooperative |
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Forest Fire Prevention program in 1944, with the help of the War |
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Advertising Council and the National Association of State |
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Foresters; and |
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WHEREAS, The program's first poster featured characters |
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from the Disney animated film Bambi, but later that year, artist |
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Albert Staehle created a poster featuring a bear pouring a bucket |
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of water on a campfire, and Smokey Bear was born; in 1950, an |
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orphaned bear cub survived a forest fire in New Mexico and was |
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placed in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where until his |
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death in 1976 he served as a living symbol of Smokey Bear; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, the program's slogan evolved from |
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"Smokey Says - Care Will Prevent 9 Out of 10 Forest Fires" to the |
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more memorable "Remember . . . Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires," |
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and in 2001, it was updated again to "Only You Can Prevent |
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Wildfires" to emphasize that not all natural fires occur in |
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forests; many Americans of a certain age remember the popular tune |
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"Smokey the Bear," in which the songwriters inserted "the" into |
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Smokey's official name to maintain the rhythm of the song; and |
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WHEREAS, The longest-running public service campaign in |
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the nation's history, the Smokey Bear program has been credited |
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with reducing the number of acres lost across the nation each |
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year to fire from 9.1 million to 8.5 million; the campaign |
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remains vital through the ongoing partnership of the federal |
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Forest Service, the Texas A&M Forest Service, the National |
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Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council; and |
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WHEREAS, Now three-quarters of a century old, Smokey Bear |
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is one of the world's most recognized characters, and today he |
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continues to instruct new generations of Texans on the prevention |
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of human-caused wildfires and the preservation of the scenic |
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beauty of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th |
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Legislature, hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the |
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Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign and extend to all |
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those associated with the program sincere best wishes for |
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continued success. |
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Nichols |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on March 25, 2019. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |