In the world of wildfire prevention, there is no greater honor than to receive the national Smokey Bear Award. This special award is reserved for people who provide sustained, outstanding service with significant program impact in the wildfire prevention arena. Since 1957, the National Association of State Foresters, U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council have sponsored the national Smokey Bear Awards program.
Nugent, best known for selling more than 30 million records, has become a staunch public advocate for conservation efforts. He has donated time and creativity to create public service announcements on fire prevention and hunting safety.
The outspoken rock star said the Smokey Bear Award is a "reflection of my lifestyle."
Nugent has partnered over the past several years with Texas Forest Service to increase awareness to both hunters and the general public on the importance of preventing a careless fire from starting.
The Smokey Bear statue was presented to Nugent by Texas Forest Service Director Tom Boggus, Special Projects Coordinator Mary Kay Hicks and Fire Operations Chief Mark Stanford.
"He's an incredibly passionate conservationist," Stanford said of the rock icon. "He's humanized this message and gotten the public's attention. He walks the walk."
