VIDEO: On Tuesday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed a law authorizing a special license plate depicting Smokey Bear. The license plate will help fund the Department of Natural Resourcesโ (DNR) efforts to prevent human-caused wildfires and support wildland firefighters.
โItโs fitting that our stateโs first Smokey Bear license plate has been passed by the State Legislature during Wildfire Awareness Month,โ said Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove. โApproximately 90 percent of wildfires every year are human-caused. We couldnโt have a better advocate for wildfire prevention crisscrossing Washington along our interstates, highways and roads than Smokey.โ
The Smokey Bear license plate will be available for purchase on Nov. 1 for a fee of $40 for the initial plate and a renewal fee of $30. The proceeds will go to DNR wildfire prevention programs. โA lot of hard work went into passing this bill and I want to especially thank Rep. Donaghy and Sen. Nobles for their efforts as prime sponsors over the last two sessions,โ Commissioner Upthegrove said.
Smokey Bear has been the face of wildfire prevention since 1944. The Smokey Bear license plate will allow Washingtonians to show their support for firefighters while supporting DNRโs efforts to reduce the number of wildfires started by humans. The Smokey Bear license plate will also raise public awareness, letting everyone know that ‘only you can prevent wildfires.’
