Why a Bear Mattered: RANGERS WiLL BE ABLE to: …Lesson 9 Why a Bear Mattered: Smokey’s Story 9-2 The Junior Ranger Program was started in 1953 to encourage children to help Smokey

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Why a Bear Mattered: Smokey’s StoryLesson 9 • Appropriate for ages 8-12

Overview: RANGERS are introduced to Smokey Bear who has been a living symbol of wildfire prevention for many generations. His message, on posters and in song, is imbedded in our national collective memory. In this lesson, RANGERS experience and discuss the story of Smokey Bear, discover the messages in Smokey’s song, and write their own fire prevention messages on historic Smokey posters as well as creating their own fire prevention poster.

Background Information: As early as 1902, Americans were being warned about the damages of human-caused forest fires, but no formal campaign aimed at prevention existed. In 1939, a poster entitled “Your Forest-Your Fault” featured a Forest Ranger in the image of Uncle Sam pointing to a raging forest fire. During the years of 1936-1941, a total of 210,000 forest fires burned over 30 million acres of forest and rangeland. Nine out of

ten wildfires were caused by humans. Shortly after World War II began, in 1942, the USDA-Forest Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program. War posters carried fire prevention messages, “Careless Matches Aid the Axis” and “Our Carelessness, their Secret Weapon.” In 1944, the Wartime Advertising Council decided to use an animal to carry the fire prevention message. For one year, Walt Disney agreed to lend the image of Bambi, the famous deer fawn, to be the first animal to carry the message.

Later in 1944, a bear was chosen to be the spokesman for forest fire prevention. The bear was named “Smokey” after a well-known New York City Assistant Fire Chief named Smokey Joe Martin and the first slogan was “Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires.” Smokey’s most enduring message, “Remember only YOU can prevent forest fires,” was coined in 1947 and his picture was on posters, billboards, magazines and newspapers everywhere. People noticed and started to think about preventing forest fires.

Events on May 9, 1950 forever changed the way Americans would look at the forest fire prevention message. A 5 lb. black bear cub was found in the aftermath of a forest fire in the Capitan Mountains near Capitan, New Mexico. Named Smokey after the poster bear, the cub was sent to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. to become the “living symbol” for fire prevention. By 1952, Congress passed the Smokey Bear Act, making Smokey the official image of forest fire prevention, and preventing unlawful use of Smokey Bear’s image.

RANGERS WiLL BE ABLE to: a. Describe the effect Smokey Bear has on wildfire prevention;

b. Describe at least two ways Smokey gets his fire prevention message to the public. obj

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Materials Needed:(copy, as needed)

RANGER pAGES• SMokEy BEAR SoNG • REcoRDED fRoM WEBSitE (optioNAL)coLoRED pENciLS oR pENS• pApER foR DRAWiNG•

KEEP OREGON GREEN ASSOCIATION PO BOX 12365, SALEM, OR 97309-0365 503.945.7498Developed by David Heil & Associates, Inc., Portland, Oregon

Lesson 9Why a Bear Mattered: Smokey’s Story

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The Junior Ranger Program was started in 1953 to encourage children to help Smokey prevent forest fires. By 1976, over six million kids had enrolled in the Junior Ranger Program. Smokey received so much fan mail that he was given his own zip code, 20252. The only other celebrity to have this honor is the President of the United States.

In 1961, “Goldie,” an orphaned female black bear from New Mexico, arrived in Washington to be Smokey’s mate. Sadly, no cubs were ever born to the couple, but another orphaned black bear was found in 1971 and sent to Washington, D.C. to become “Little Smokey.” When Smokey retired in 1975, after serving for 25 years as the “living symbol” for fire prevention, Little Smokey took over. On November 9, 1976, Smokey passed away and was returned to his hometown of Capitan, New Mexico to be buried in the Smokey Bear Historical Park. 1984 marked the 40th birthday of Smokey Bear and was celebrated by a commemorative stamp. The saga of the “living symbol” closed with the death of Little Smokey on August 11, 1990. The Smokey and Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program turned 50 years old in 1994, and was celebrated all over the United States. It is one of the longest running public service advertising campaigns ever!

Activity Sequence:

Smokey’s Story 1. Have RANGERS close their eyes and picture a forest. What do they

see, hear, and feel? What animals might they see? What do they enjoy doing in the forest?

2. Now have them imagine that it is a hot, dry summer day and it has not rained in the forest for a long time. What might look, feel or sound different in the forest? (Less water running in the stream, grass and brush dry and crunchy, etc.)

3. Read “Smokey’s Story” on RANGER Page 9-4, and have RANGERS answer the questions at the end of the story. Question 1 encourages them to visualize the forest before the wildfire; Question 2 reminds them of how important it is in dry periods to be extra careful with fire; Question 3 let’s them speculate on what could have been done to prevent this wildfire.

4. Discuss and share answers as a group.

How Smokey’s Song Prevents Wildfires

Smokey’s song has some key messages in it to remind people to be careful with fire. In this part of the lesson, RANGERS learn the lyrics and listen to the tune. If possible, record the tune on a recorder or disk and have it ready to play during the lesson. You can then sing along with it and everyone can learn the lyrics as they sing. Or, if you play an instrument, you can provide the music for them.

1. Once the singing is over, have RANGERS look closely at the lyrics to find the messages that Smokey is trying convey with this song. Have RANGERS summarize the messages in their own words by doing one or both of the following activities.

Option A: Have the group form a circle with you in the middle. Start a sentence about Smokey’s song and then point to another person in the circle to finish the sentence. Continue to point to new people, only allowing each person to say a few words at a time. Keep in mind some of the key points you would like for the group to remember from the song and prompt those sentences if necessary.


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Option B: Have RANGERS summarize the key messages in the song in a short paragraph. One version might read as follows:

“Smokey is the fire prevention bear. He loves trees, and wants to prevent them from going up in smoke. Don’t harm his trees, and remember to be careful…it’s the least that you can do.”

This is only one example – let them write their own and you can have volunteers read them aloud if time allows.

Helping Smokey Deliver His Message

1. There have been many posters printed with wildfire prevention messages from Smokey Bear. Two of these posters are drawn on Ranger Page 9-7, but the messages have been left off.

2. Have RANGERS write wildfire prevention messages that fit the images on the posters. Encourage them to work on scratch paper to develop their message and then print it on the poster. Have colored pens or pencils available for this activity.

3. Finally, have RANGERS draw and develop a message for their own poster in the space provided in RANGER Page 9-7, or on a separate sheet of paper. You will need plenty of colored markers, pens and pencils for this!

Review Questions and Extensions:

1. Do you think Smokey’s wildfire prevention efforts worked better once people knew that Smokey was a real bear? Why or why not? (The fact that a real bear cub was orphaned and burned by a real wildfire was heartbreaking, and people realized that the threat of wildfires is real.)

2. Do you think Smokey’s wildfire prevention message is just as important today as it was 50 or 60 years ago? Why or why not? (In fact, wildfires are getting more numerous and more destructive. Smokey’s message is even more important now than ever! You may know of examples of wildfires right in your own area.)

3. Have RANGERS take home the lyrics to “Smokey Bear” and teach the song to parents or friends.

4. If RANGERS create their own Smokey poster, have them share their poster with other RANGERS by sending it to Keep Oregon Green.

5. Have RANGERS read Smokey’s Legacy on RANGER page 9-7. Have RANGERS discuss (or write down) how they will pass on Smokey’s legacy.

Additional Resources

http://www.smokeybear.com/

http://www.smokeybear.com/kids/default.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear


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Did you know that Smokey Bear has his own personal zip code? There is only one other personal zip code in the U.S. – for the President of the United States. Smokey Bear has been teaching people to be careful with fire in forests for over 60 years, and he gets lots of fan mail! Read Smokey’s story below and answer the questions at the end of the story.

In the first half of the 20th Century, hundreds of thousands of forest fires burned millions of acres. Right here in Oregon, the famous Tillamook Burn fires destroyed forests in 1933,

1939, 1945, and 1951. During World War II, the U.S. Government decided to use an animal to tell people about preventing forest fires. In 1944, a bear was chosen to carry that message.

Smokey wasn’t a real bear yet – he was a “make believe” bear - but his picture was on posters, billboards, magazines and newspapers everywhere. People noticed. They started being more careful to prevent wildfires in forests.

In 1950, a huge wildfire burned near Capitan, New Mexico. What happened during this fire changed everything:

It was a hot, dry day in the forest. Deer rested under cool trees. Fish hid along cool stream banks. Sticks and pine needles on the forest floor were so dry that they would crunch when animals or people walked on them.

One day, a visitor to the forest was careless with fire. No one knows if he or she lit a match, or left a campfire burning, or forgot to crush out a cigarette. But everyone knows what happened next. That little spark, left by one person, quickly became a huge wildfire.

The animals, birds and fish living in the forest tried to escape the fire. Many could not. Even in streams, fish choked on ash from the fire. Firefighters worked for five days to put the wildfire out.

When the fire was finally out, firefighters found a frightened, young black bear cub clinging to a burned tree. Bits of the cub’s fur and his paws had been burned. The firefighters took care of the bear cub until his injuries were all healed. They named the cub “Smokey,” after the fire prevention bear.

From that day forward, Smokey was more than a cartoon symbol – he was a real bear. Smokey lived in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. after that. He traveled the country, telling boys and girls how they could help prevent forest fires. Adults listened and learned from Smokey, too.

Today, Smokey lives through stories, road signs, posters, websites, and other reminders that preventing forest fires is still important, and will always be a job for everyone.

Story adapted from Smokey and Friends Educator’s Guide, The Advertising Council, USDA Forest Service, and National Association of State Foresters


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Think about Smokey’s story and answer the questions below. Write your answers in the spaces under each question.

1. What do you think Smokey’s home was like

before the fire? ________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

2. Do you think the weather had anything to

do with how fast the fire spread? How?____

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

___________________________________

3. What are some ways the fire might have

been prevented?______________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

How Smokey’s Song Prevents Wildfires

One reason Smokey became so famous is because he has his own song. It was written in 1952, and sung by kids and adults all over the U.S. The lyrics are written below. You can visit this website to hear the tune:

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/gove/kids/lyrics/smokey.htm

Listen to the tune on the website and learn the lyrics.

Smokey the Bear

With a Ranger’s hat and shoveland a pair of dungarees,

you will find him in the forestalways sniffin’ at the breeze.

People stop and pay attentionwhen he tells ‘em to beware,‘cause ev’rybody knows that

he’s the Fire Prevention Bear.

Refrain:Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.

Prowlin’ and a growlin’ and a sniffin’ the air.He can find a fire before it starts to flame.

That’s why they call him Smokey, That was how he got his name.

Interesting Smokey Facts

1. the first animal chosen to bring a fire prevention message to people was “Bambi,” the famous deer fawn. He was loaned from Walt Disney Studios for a one-year period.

2. the first Smokey was named for a famous New york city fire chief named Smokey Joe Martin.

3. Smokey is a black bear. the brown bear (or grizzly bear) and the polar bear are his cousins. Black bears can weigh up to 800 pounds, although most are smaller. they weigh about a pound and a half at birth.

4. Smokey’s favorite clothes are a ranger hat, blue jeans, and belt.

5. Smokey’s favorite foods are ants, insects, salmon or trout, bark, plants, roots, and berries.

6. the 24 firefighters that found the real Smokey barely survived the fire. they had to lay face down with their faces covered by wet handkerchiefs to stay alive with flames all around them.

7. in 1961, an orphaned bear found in New Mexico became Smokey’s lifetime friend. She was named “Goldie.” the two bears became the most visited animals at the National Zoo.

8. Smokey lived until 1976. He is buried at the Smokey Bear Historical park in capitan, New Mexico.


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You can take a tip from Smokeythat there’s nothin’ like a tree.

‘cause they’re good for kids to climb inand they’re beautiful to see,

you just have to look around youand you’ll find it’s not a joke,to see what you’d be missin’if they all went up in smoke.

Repeat Refrain

You can camp upon his doorstepand he’ll make you feel at home;You can run and hunt and ramble

anywhere you care to roam.He will let you take his honeyand pretend he’s not so smart,but don’t you harm his trees

for he’s a Ranger in his heart.

Repeat Refrain

If you’ve ever seen the forestwhen a fire is running wild,

and you love the things within itlike a mother loves her child,

then you know why Smokey tells youwhen he sees you passing through,“Remember...please be careful....

its the least that you can do.”

By Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, written under license of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to Hill and Range Songs, Inc., and recorded under license by RCA-Victor, Columbia, Decco, Peter Pan, and Golden Records. Copyright 1952 by Hill and Range Songs, Inc., New York, N.Y. International copyright secured. All rights reserved including the right of public performance for profit.

Look back at the lyrics to Smokey’s song. See if you can figure out what Smokey is trying to teach you in the song and write it down in just a few sentences.


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Helping Smokey Deliver His Message

Over the years, Smokey has appeared on many posters that remind people to be careful with fire in the forest. Two of these posters are drawn below with the words left off. Ask yourself what Smokey is trying to tell you in each poster and create your own wildfire prevention message. Once you have decided what your messages should be for each poster, write them in the lines below the posters.

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

Now try creating your own poster with a fire prevention message:

Smokey’s Legacy: A legacy is something that is handed down from person to person over time. Smokey’s legacy is a gift of knowledge – knowledge about how to protect

forests from wildfires. We can use that knowledge and pass it on to others. That is an important part of being a Keep Oregon Green Ranger!


Documents

Why a Bear Mattered: RANGERS WiLL BE ABLE to: …Lesson 9 Why a Bear Mattered: Smokey’s Story 9-2 The Junior Ranger Program was started in 1953 to encourage children to help Smokey