The timber industry provides jobs, landscapes and refuge to Nassau County residents. Over the course of the next few weeks, the Record explores the protective services, historical aspects, landowner assistance and recreational opportunities available through the Florida Forest Service.
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Bears usually move on four legs and hibernate in winter. But Smokey Bear stands upright and stays busy year-round for the Florida Forest Service.
“Smokey Bear used to say, ‘Remember … only you can prevent forest fires,’” Florida Forest Service Mitigation Specialist Annaleasa Winter said. “Now he says, ‘Only you can prevent wildfires.’”
The fire prevention message was rooted out of caution. Americans feared an attack on forestry during World War II.
Efforts were made to send a message to prevent the spread of wildfires, which led to the creation of Smokey Bear, according to information provided by Winter.
The USDA Forest Service formed the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program in 1942 to encourage citizens to prevent forest fires.
Walt Disney’s Bambi made a good impression when the character was presented for an advertising campaign, but the USDA Forest Service and the War Adverti-
sing Council went with a bear instead of a deer for its mascot. The bear should be either black or brown in color, with “an intelligent, appealing and slightly quizzical” look on his face, according to information provided by Winter.
“Albert Staehle, noted illustrator of animals, worked with this description to paint the forest fire prevention bear,” the information sheet reads. “His art appeared in the 1944 campaign, and the advertising symbol was given the name ‘Smokey Bear,’ carrying the caption, ‘Smokey says: Care will prevent nine out of 10 woods fires.’
“As the campaign grew, Smokey reached out to Americans from posters and roadside billboards, from the pages of magazines and newspapers, and over the air from hundreds of broadcasting stations. Many major corporations donated valuable advertising time and space. The result was great success for the Smokey Bear symbol and a decrease in accidental, human-caused forest fires.”
Post-war, Smokey’s appeal expanded to adults as well.
In 1950, a bear cub that had survived being burned in the Lincoln National Forest near Capitan, N.M. became a new live symbol for the bear, according to the FFS.
After he was nursed back to health, Smokey came to live at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. as a living counterpart to the CFFP Program’s fire prevention symbol. Visitors from across the globe came to see him. Smokey was provided a mate named Goldie, but the pair never had offspring. An adopted son was sent to the zoo as a replacement so that Smokey could retire. He did so on May 2, 1975. Smokey died in 1976. His remains were returned to Capitan to rest underneath a stone marker in Smokey Bear State Park.
When the second Smokey Bear died in 1990, officials decided to let the living symbol die as well.
Artist Chuck Kuderna delivered the image that most is recognized as the modern day version of Smokey Bear. It was drawn during a 1965 campaign for the CFFP program. In 1946, artist Rudy Wendelin created art for Smokey Bear. He also designed the 40th anniversary commemorative U.S. postage stamp.