Smokey Bear to turn 70

PLAINS – Only you can help Smokey Bear celebrate his 70th birthday.

America’s iconic symbol for fire prevention since 1944, Smokey Bear has his birthday coming Saturday, August 9 and the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District plans to throw him a party, which will include the providing of critical fire prevention information, at 408 Clayton Avenue in Plains Friday, August 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at the district office, and the public is invited.  A special birthday cake is being prepared for the party, and lemonade or water will also be provided for party-goers.

Making time in his busy fire prevention schedule for the event, Smokey will be in Plains for his birthday bash and his fans, both young and old, are urged to stop in and give America’s most recognizable bear their best wishes.

Born as the symbol of fire prevention in this country on Aug. 9, 1944, Smokey Bear has been a recognized symbol of conservation and protection of America’s forests ever since.  His fire prevention message has greatly helped to reduce the number of acres lost annually to wildfire, from about 22 million in 1944 to an average of only about 6.7 million annually today.

In spite of Smokey’s great prevention work to date, preventing wildfires remains as one of the most critical issues facing our nation.  In fact, 9 out of 10 wildfires nationwide are started by humans, through unattended campfires, trash burning on windy days, operating equipment without spark arrestors and the careless discarding of smoking materials or barbecue coals.

It is always fire season somewhere in the U.S. and right now that hot spot is centered in the states of Washington and Oregon, where several hundred thousand acres have burned already this summer.  Although the fire season in Montana has been relatively quiet up to this point, Smokey Bear remains on vigil and will not let the folks who live in the Big Sky Country ever forget his prevention message.

There have been 13 wildfires in the Plains/Thompson Falls area so far this season, and seven of those were started by humans. Those fires, which have extinguished, have burned a total of about six acres.

“The local fire season has been relatively slow so far this summer,” Plains/Thompson Falls Prevention Technician John Hamilton said, “but the conditions for destructive wildfires are still out there. We urge people to stay alert to the danger and continue to be very careful with fire.”

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell certainly appreciates what Smokey Bear does, and what he represents.

“Our Wildfire Prevention campaign has helped children and adults throughout the country understand their role in preventing wildfires,” he said.  “For 70 years, Smokey has empowered people to make a difference; his message of personal responsibility continues to be as critical and relevant now as ever.  We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays of our beloved icon.”

Smokey Bear is the center of the longest-running public service advertising (PSA) campaign in U.S. history.  Since 1944, the Ad Council, ad agency FCB West and the U.S. Forest Service have been helping Smokey deliver his well-known message, “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”  

To help reward and thank those that take steps to help prevent wildfires, Smokey is giving out bear hugs online, using #SmokeyBearHug. He’s also directing fans to his website www.smokeybear.com, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter for more information about wildfire prevention.

The U.S. Forest Service is the agency responsible for overseeing the use of Smokey Bear in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the Ad Council.  The U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands for the American public. Its mission is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.