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Contact Information Date
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Campbell 434.220.9070 or 434.989.0665 		 July 24, 2008
VDOF-08021

Stuarts Draft Resident Selected for Southern Wildfire Prevention Award

Rodger Moyers

Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) Technician Rodger Moyers has earned the Robert E. Browning Jr. Award.  The US Forest Service, Southern Region, chose Moyers for this honor based on his excellence in wildland fire prevention efforts.

(The Southern Region is comprised of the 13 Southern states from Virginia to Texas as well as the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  The highly coveted Award is given in honor of Robert E. Browning Jr., a South Carolina wildland firefighter who lost his life on Storm King Mountain, Colo., in 1994.)

Moyers is a forestry technician in Augusta County and has been with VDOF since 1981.  Before transferring to Augusta County in 2003, he was assigned to Highland and Bath counties as a chief forest warden.

“I am both honored and humbled by this,” said Moyers.  “There are so many dedicated wildland firefighters across the South, so to be singled out for my efforts is an honor I will never forget.  I’m very grateful to my supervisor, David Powell, for being supportive of my efforts as well as to all of my colleagues in the field and the members of the VDOF Resource Protection Division.  This Award would not have been possible without them.”

In addition to developing the annual Smokey Bear Night at a Staunton Braves game each season, Moyers has also created and conducted fire prevention programs for both children and adults.

Janet Anderson of the US Forest Service said, “Rodger truly distinguished himself, especially by developing fire prevention education programs for people with mental and physical disabilities. He really knows how to reach people.”

Roger and his wife, Linda, live in Stuarts Draft and have a grown son, Jamey, who is a teacher in King George County.

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 184,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $29 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.

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