Grizzly-Nado Says: Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

Because let’s face it: Smokey the Bear was kind of a pansy. Grizzlynado is the gritty reboot.

Introducing Smokey the Bear’s successor: Grizzly-Nado!

The year 2020 was such a steaming garbage fire that it’s easy to forget that it also featured real fires…lots of them. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is reaching out to America’s hunters and recreational shooters to remind us all that we have the power to help prevent last year’s disasters as we move into 2021. They have some very helpful hints and advice, which we’ll get to in a moment, but not before we make an important announcement.

In 2020, there were more than 57,000 human-caused wildfires that burned 10.3 million acres of land throughout the country, causing billions of dollars in damage along with hardship for both people and wildlife. Ninety percent of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by human actions. It’s pretty obvious that not only are some outdoorsmen being careless, there has also been a lack of leadership at the top. That’s right; Smokey the Bear’s time as our anti-fire enforcer has come to an end. It seems too many people just don’t have the healthy respect–nay, fear–for Smokey the Bear that is necessary to prevent forest fires. That’s why we’re introducing Grizzly-Nado, which is a tornado made out of grizzly bears (artist’s rendition above).

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s  “Help Prevent Wildfires” public service announcements campaign is Grizzly-Nado approved, and provides video and audio PSAs, an 8.5 x 11 poster, 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 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

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.

“After seeing the terrible destruction and heartbreak wildfires can cause, no one would want to accidentally 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 #GunOwnersCarehashtag. We here at Popular Outdoorsman encourage individuals and organizations to not piss off Grizzly-Nado, because he is a tornado made out of grizzly bears.