The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - "Remember... Only YOU can prevent forest fires," which originated in 1947, is a slogan that children everywhere associate with Smokey the Bear.

The Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign was created in 1944 and is the longest-running public-service advertising campaign in U.S. history. There is a lot of interesting information at smokeybear.com, which asks you to celebrate 80 years of Smokey by exploring Smokey's history throughout the generations.

 Weller Public Library's Supervisor, Sarah Roberts, and her assistant, Jesse Brown, coordinated with the US Forest Service to bring Smokey to Waitsburg Elementary School on March 18.

Pre-school through fifth-grade students attended a 20-minute session led by US Forest Service representative Fabian Spencer. Spencer, a Public Affairs Specialist, read the story of an orphaned bear cub caught in a New Mexico wildfire in 1950.

The badly burnt cub was rescued, treated, and then sent to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C, to become the living symbol of Smokey Bear for the conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program. When Smokey died in 1976, he was returned to New Mexico and buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park.

Spencer asked the students if they knew Smokey's wildfire rules, such as never leaving a fire unattended and never playing with matches. After questions and answers, Smokey visited with the children and received hugs and high-fives.

Roberts informed the students about Smokey Bear's Birthday reading challenge sponsored by the Weller Public Library. Each student received a packet challenging them to read at least three books about wildfires, the environment, or nature before April 20. The kids can also earn four badges by completing at least one listed activity for each category in the packet. When students finish, they can return the packet to the Weller Library for a certificate and a prize.