Tag: Smokey Bear

This version of how Smokey Bear was originally discovered was posted on the U.S. Forest Service website by Sandy Marin, USFS Tribal Relations.

This year, we celebrated Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday as a national fire prevention icon. Many know Smokey’s message: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires,” but fewer people may know that Smokey was a real American black bear rescued, in the spring of 1950, from a raging wildfire in New Mexico.

The Los Tablos and Capitan Gap fires, which burned over 17,000 acres, were stoked by 70-mile per hour winds that made the fires hard to fight. The Taos Pueblo Snowball crew formed when the war chief of the tribe called all available firefighters to quench the blaze in the Lincoln National Forest. Twenty-five volunteers boarded a school bus and began the long journey to fight the growing fires, fueled by gusting winds and high temperatures. It was only the second fire-fighting experience for the rookie crew. The men spent 28 long days fighting the fires.

The crew rescued the five-pound American black bear cub who later became known as “Smokey” out of the embers. Adolph Samora, a member of the Snowball crew, remembers putting out fire hotspots when some other firefighters called him over to what looked like a crumpled jacket lying on the ground.

“The little cub was covered,” he said. “[A crewmember] picked it up and placed it in my arms. The cub had blisters all over his hands and feet.” Crew members wrapped the three-month-old cub in their own jackets to protect his badly burned paws while they transported the little bear to safety.

A local family nursed Smokey back to health, and the bear was later moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he lived for the next 26 years. The story of Smokey’s rescue can be viewed at Smokey Bear LIVE from the Lincoln National Forest.

The Forest Service and the U.S. Advertising Council created Smokey Bear in 1944. Since then, Smokey Bear has become the longest running public service campaign in our nation’s history. His 75th anniversary celebration began with an appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day and finished with his appearance on Smokey Bear-themed ornaments for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. Other highlights included a new Smokey Bear exhibit at the National Zoo in D.C. and a birthday party at the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery. But the crown jewel of a wonderful birthday year was the giant Smokey balloon floating down 5th Avenue in New York City during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

So how can you honor Smokey at the conclusion of his 75th birthday year celebration? Help in his lifelong mission of fire prevention, because only YOU can help prevent wildfires.

Here is a link to more information about finding Smokey.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Ted. Typos or errors, report them HERE.

Today, August 9, 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the Smokey Bear public service campaign, the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history, educating generations of Americans about their role in preventing wildfires.

The campaign started during World War II. After a Japanese submarine surfaced near the coast of Santa Barbara firing shells that exploded on an oil field near the Los Padres National Forest, and Japanese balloons dropped incendiary devices that started a few fires and killed six citizens in Oregon, the government figured that with fires being ignited by Japan, they needed to reduce the number of preventable human-caused fires.

For the first six years Smokey Bear was just an icon, an image. The first real representative of the Bear came in 1950 when a bear cub was found clinging to a burned tree in a forest fire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. Firefighters rescued the cub, which had badly burned paws and hind legs, and he was flown to Santa Fe for treatment. The story became national news and the bear was given a home in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., becoming the living symbol of Smokey Bear.

Smokey received numerous gifts of honey and so many letters he had to have his own zip code. He remained at the zoo until his death in 1976, when he was returned to his home to be buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico, where he continues to be a wildfire prevention legend.

In 1952, Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins wrote the popular anthem that would launch a continuous debate about Smokey’s name. To maintain the rhythm of the song, they added “the” between “Smokey” and “Bear.” Due to the song’s popularity, Smokey Bear has been called “Smokey the Bear” by many adoring fans, but, in actuality, his name never changed. He’s still Smokey Bear.

In memory of the very real Smokey Bear who lived at the National Zoo until the 1970s, the zoo is honoring Smokey with an exhibit for his 75th Birthday. Called the Smokey Bear Zone, it’s now open and free to the public.

The exhibit opened today at Smithsonian’s National Zoo with an invitation for visitors to look back at the legacy of one of the most famous residents in the Zoo’s 130-year history. A public celebration at 10 a.m. followed brief remarks and a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Visitors to the Smokey Bear exhibit had an opportunity to meet Smokey Bear and members of the U.S. Forest Service. They were given free flags, magnets and other giveaways, courtesy of the Forest Service, which is commemorating 75 years of the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign.

The “real” Smokey Bear was rescued from a forest fire in New Mexico and lived at the Zoo from 1950 to 1976. As visitors stroll through the exhibit, they will see the rich stories of Smokey Bear the character and Smokey Bear the Zoo resident take shape. Archival photographs and 14 colorful posters line the pathway in front of Smokey Bear’s former habitat, teaching visitors about his legacy as an ambassador for wildfire prevention and wildlife conservation. Complementing this outdoor gallery are bilingual panels in English and Spanish highlighting the real Smokey Bear’s story and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s forest ecology research. The exhibit was made possible by the Forest Service.

Okay. I guess random famous people providing Smokey Bear’s voice is the new normal. Last month it was Al Roker. Now it’s Steven Colbert.

And then there was Jeff Foxworthy.

Of course it is great that these well-known names are getting involved in wildfire prevention.