Description: Smokey Bear, the character, was created by the Forest Service in August 1944 as the lead symbol in its Wildfire Prevention Campaign. However, there was also a real, living Smokey Bear, himself the victim of a forest fire as a young cub. Smokey was born in 1950 in the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, where he was found badly burned. Despite the odds for survival, he was
Description: 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of Smokey Bear, and, considering the rise in wildfires during the past decade, Smokey and his message of wildfire prevention and wildlife preservation is needed now more than ever. The U. S. Forest Service maintains a very informative website regarding Smokey’s history and a wealth of wildfire statistics may be found on the National Interagency