Smokey turns 80 — elsewhere: Thieves steal Fayette County sign of famous icon who celebrated birthday Friday
Smokey Bear missed his 80th birthday — in Fayette County, that is. Elsewhere around the United States the familiar blue-jean-clad symbol was celebrated in the appreciative spirit he deserves after eight decades preventing forest and wildfires.
Here, he was stolen by some thoughtless person who didn’t understand, or care about, the uplift Smokey gave to travelers, especially children, cresting Summit Mountain on Route 40, or about the importance of protecting the region’s forests from fire. Someone pilfered Smokey from his prominent spot at the scenic mountain lookout earlier this summer. He wasn’t back in time for his birthday.
The idea for Smokey Bear was born on Aug. 9, 1944, conceived out of a think-tank pulled together from the U.S. Forest Service, the Association of State Foresters, and the Wartime Advertising Council. Those agencies wanted the public more aware of wildfire danger after a Japanese submarine surfaced off the California coast and fired shells that exploded near the Los Padres National Forest. Wildfire could wreak havoc on the West Coast (as we see acutely today), and foresters didn’t want the enemy threat compounded by accidental fire caused by careless burning or untended campfires.
Bambi the deer was the face of fire prevention for a short time during World War II. But the Bambi character belonged to Walt Disney Studios, which made it available for public-service use for only one year. After Bambi’s brief tenure, the forest-advertising think-tank settled on a bear as wildfire prevention’s wild animal symbol.
But it wasn’t until 1951 that Smokey wore his trademark blue-jeans and wide-brimmed forester’s hat. The Virginia Division of Forestry was the first forest agency to clothe Smokey in his trademark attire. But the woodsy look was so popular that the U.S. Forest Service began employing Smokey’s branding garb nationwide. Today, Smokey Bear images and costumes can only be made by licensed contractors and are sold only to legitimate federal and state forestry agencies.
Smokey’s persona as a watchful forest ranger arose after a 1950 incident that propelled him to national prominence — when he “went viral” in modern-speak.
On a warm spring day in 1950 a fire broke out in New Mexico’s Capitan Mountains. A fire-fighting crew found a black bear cub that had tried to escape the flames by climbing into a hollow tree. The cub was burned on its feet and back legs and needed veterinary care. Newspapers spread the burned cub’s story across the country, and people clamored for updates on its fate.
When it became clear the cub would recover, the New Mexico State Game Warden gave the young bear to the U.S. Forest Service with the stipulation that he be the centerpiece of an advertising campaign for fire prevention and wildlife conservation. The cub found a home at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and became the living symbol of the Smokey Bear concept.
Smokey Bear now represents the longest-running public service advertising campaign in American history.
Advertising execs, forestry officials, and artists got it right with Smokey’s image. Somehow, he combines the warmth and affability of a favorite uncle with the stern aura of a feared school principal. He gets the message across that wildfires cost money, resources, and lives.
The sign assembly from where Smokey was taken warns travelers and forest visitors about the potential for wildfire every day. Bureau of Forestry staff monitor conditions in the woods and proclaim fire danger as Low, Moderate, High, Very High, or Extreme on colored placards, so recreationists can take proper precautions. Without Smokey, though, the message lacks impact.
Gladly, Smokey will be back on Summit Mountain sometime this fall. According to Cory Wentzel, Forest Assistant Manager for the PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry’s Forbes State Forest, a new Smokey likeness has been ordered from a licensed supplier in Colorado. Wentzel said Smokey should begin his journey back to the top of Chestnut Ridge in about 10 weeks. He also said the local forest maintenance crew had a plan to make Smokey more “theft-resistant.”
Wentzel said that when Smokey was stolen from Summit Mountain, the Bureau of Forestry initially considered moving him somewhere else — somewhere safer for an icon of goodwill and personal responsibility toward natural resources. Ultimately, though, it was decided to return him to the mountaintop along Route 40.
“We wanted to find a spot for the sign (Smokey) that’s highly visible to the public, but also draws attention to our area’s impressive forest resource, and this location is ideal,” said Ralph Campbell, fire forester in the Forbes Forest District in April 2022 when Smokey first arrived in Fayette County.
A trip over Summit Mountain will be more enjoyable, and informative, when Smokey returns home.
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.