PINEDALE, Wyo. — On Monday, Dec. 9, the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) shared photos from the Pinedale Mountain Man Christmas Parade of Lights and the Big Piney Christmas Light Parade with Smokey Bear.
According to the BTNF, Smokey joined in the festivities to remind community members that “only you can prevent wildfires.”
Smokey Bear has been around since Aug. 9, 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) authorized his creation for a fire prevention campaign. In 1952, an Act of Congress passed that removed Smokey from the public domain and placed him under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture.
“Though he has already accomplished so much, Smokey’s work is far from over,” the USFS writes on its Smokey the Bear campaign website.
Read more about Smokey Bear here.
