Monty the Mountain Lion Says: Recreational Shooters WILL Prevent Forest Fires (Or Else)

I ate Woodsy the Owl.

Wildfire awareness needs a new mascot.

The mascots of our youth, once towering above our innocent little heads, have been cut down to size. Smokey the Bear has been missing since he disappeared into the wilderness to write his manifesto. As for Woodsy the Owl, let’s just say that he’s gotten in touch with his true self and Bud Lite made some commemorative cans with his face on them. As the Canadian inferno might seem to indicate, people aren’t giving wildfire awareness the respect it deserves these days. That’s where Monty the Mountain Lion comes in! The motto used to be “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” The new motto is “Prevent Forest Fires, Or Else.”

We think it’s a winner! But in the meantime, here’s some terrific information from our friends at the National Shooting Sports Foundation that we hope you’ll review and share with your friends! (Or else.)

NSSF’s “Help Prevent Wildfires” public service announcements campaign provides video and audio PSAs, an 8.5 x 11 pos?ter, an infographic and shareable social media posts that remind recreational shooters and other outdoor enthusiasts to be mindful of their surroundings and to take precautions, such as:

• Being aware of official restrictions on shooting and other activities in fire-prone areas
• Not using tracer rounds, exploding targets or ammunition that is steel-jacketed or contains steel-core components
• Knowing that a vehicle’s hot exhaust systems can ignite dry vegetation
• Making sure all campfires and smoking materials are properly extinguished

There were 68,988 wildfires in 2022 that burned more than 7.5 million acres of land throughout the country, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. These fires—an increase from 2021 of more than 10,000 conflagrations and more than 400,000 acres consumed—caused billions of dollars in damage plus hardship for both people and wildlife. Wildfires are tragic in many ways, including that in most cases they can be prevented when people pay attention to their surroundings and follow safe practices. Some 90 percent of wildland fires in the United States are caused by human actions.

“After seeing the awful destruction and heartbreak wildfires can cause, no one would want to accidently be the cause of one,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “As gun owners, we care about safeguarding our communities and our natural resources, and so we remind everyone to check the fire-danger levels in their area and take precautions before heading outdoors to pursue our warm-weather activities, including recreational shooting.”

NSSF encourages individuals and organizations to share the “Help Prevent Wildfires” public service announcements and infographic on their social media networks and to use the #GunOwnersCare hashtag.