As of today, Smokey Bear (not to be confused with the misnomer “Smokey the Bear”) is 80 years old. In 1944 when Smokey was “born”, Pennsylvania suffered over 68,000 acres of wildfires. For perspective, the median acreage burned annually by wildfire in the Commonwealth since 2000 is just over 3,000 acres. You could say we’ve come a long way, and Smokey’s message has certainly helped.
Given that 99 percent of wildfires in Pennsylvania are human caused, Smokey’s message, “Only you can prevent wildfires”, applies as much today as it did in 1944. The primary mission of DCNR wildland fire personnel is protecting life and property of the people of the Commonwealth. For every wildfire prevented, we decrease the risk of tragedy.
Smokey’s wildfire prevention message resonates with Pennsylvanians of all ages. His lovable, stoic demeanor especially helps connect children to the wildfire prevention message.
DCNR Bureau of Forestry staff hold dozens of wildfire prevention events annually with Smokey always in attendance. We recently celebrated his big day at the central office in Harrisburg, with Secretary Dunn and State Forester Cassell among the attending speakers.
An interesting footnote in the history of Smokey Bear is that there was a real, living bear named Smokey. As the story goes, a tiny bear cub was saved by the Taos Pueblo Snowball tribal fire crew in a 17,000-acre New Mexico wildfire in the spring of 1950. During mop-up, a crew member found the small cub with badly burned paws, wrapped him in his jacket, and transported him to safety where a local family nursed him back to health. The New Mexico Assistant State Game Warden at the time, Homer C. Pickens, then flew Smokey to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where he would live for the next 26 years.
Smokey with NM Game and Fish Ranger Ray Bell. (image by Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smokey_Bear_and_Ranger_Ray_Bell_with_Piper_Plane.jpg)
Smokey, all grown up. 1958. (image by Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smokey_and_Judy_Bell.jpg)
Although the formerly living bear named Smokey is long gone, the National Advertising Council’s Smokey Bear lives on, spreading his wildfire prevention message across the nation. In honor of Smokey’s 80 years, we ask you do the same while remembering, “Only you…”.
Image by Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Babes_in_the_woods.jpg
Written by Ryan Reed, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry