Mendocino-area rancher Bill Burrows volunteered his time to make a public service announcement that explains why it's so important to conduct controlled burns on the national forest.
This ad will begin running Nov. 21, 2008 on the Bravo, HGTV, TLC, TNT and USA networks. It will reach cities including Anderson, Arcata, Bayside, Bella Vista, Blue Lake, Carlotta, Corning, Cottonwood, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Hydesville, Loleta, Redding, Rio Dell, Samoa, Scotia, Shasta Lake, Trinidad, and Weott. Click below to watch! What do you think of the spot?
This message is spot on. I hope this reaches people outside of California as well. People need constant reminder that natural "disasters" aren't always disasters...
Posted by: Paul | November 05, 2008 at 08:52 AM
The spot is simple and effective. It really makes the point that controlled burns are really useful for managing all types of lands. He puts the emphasis where it should be -- on safety, clean water and habitat for wildlife.
It's a great choice to use a rancher as the messenger for the spot. Research shows these kind of first person testimonials are the most effective way to carry the message to the general public. This spot should be really effective in helping people to understand how they can protect the Mendocino!
Posted by: Martin Hamburger | November 13, 2008 at 05:03 AM
This ad gets the message across clearly and directly. All of the public opinion research I've seen -- both nationally and along the North Coast -- shows that local residents really understand the importance of using controlled burns to maintain both forest health and public safety.
Posted by: Dave Metz | December 02, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Bill,
Gool work with your effort to inform the public of the value of management burning. Yor message is effective. However, I believe that the term "control burn" is outdated. The correct term, as you use it, should be "prescribed burn". The term controlled burn was changed after the Yellowstone fires of 1988. You may also be interested to know that there will soon be another change in fire management that will, among other things, make another change in terminology. Fires will then be managed as planned or unplanned ignitions.
Thanks again for your good work.
Posted by: John Roth | March 28, 2009 at 07:42 AM