DEC WILL CELEBRATE SMOKEY BEAR’s BIRTHDAY AT MOUNT LORETTO - Sunday, August 7, 2011, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

DEC CELEBRATES SMOKEY BEAR’s BIRTHDAY AT MOUNT LORETTO

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites all to celebrate Smokey Bear’s 67th birthday and the natural environment on Sunday, August 7, 2011, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The public is welcome to join the DEC at the 8th Annual Smokey Bear Birthday Bash at Mount Loretto Unique Area, located at 6450 Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island. The event will promote fire safety and environmental awareness.

The public will be able to engage in hands-on activities, nature walks, environmental games, and a raffle with free prizes. New York State Forest Rangers will have wildland firefighting equipment for the public to view. National Park Service, Greenbelt Education Center, and the New York City Urban Park Rangers will also have hands-on displays. The furry guest of honor, Smokey Bear, will make an appearance at the event.

The United States Forest Service (USFS) campaign starring Smokey Bear and the famous slogan "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" started on August 9, 1944. For more than six decades, Smokey Bear has educated school children and the public about careless actions that start forest fires. In June, 1950, a bear cub was rescued in a wildfire by a USFS Forest Ranger in New Mexico and nursed back to health. This bear became the living embodiment of Smokey Bear and was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he became the living symbol of the educational effort to prevent forest fires.

Event:

Smokey Bear’s Birthday Bash