Smokey Bear receives a bear hug from a child visiting Sims Flat Campground in the Shasta Trinity National Forest in Redding, California. (Photo credit: U.S. Forest Service, Paul Young)

Forests are an intricate part of our life, from the air they clean to the water they provide. So, we invite you to love your national forests. Read more »

Jerri Marr, forest supervisor for the U.S. Forest Service, greets the crowd that gathered to thank the firefighters returning and leaving the fire camp Tuesday morning, July 3, 2012, at Holmes Middle School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Waldo Canyon Fire is now 70 percent contained. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Jerri Marr awoke on June 23, 2012, expecting a normal day as forest supervisor tending to issues on the Pike and San Isabel national forests west of Colorado Springs, Colo., and on the Comanche National Grassland, some 250 miles away. Not to mention the Cimarron National Grassland in southwest Kansas. That alone is enough to keep her days full. Read more »

Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl: Home Sweet Home. Photo Credit: Visual Image Photography

Since 2009, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl have been making the rounds from coast to coast on a green-built, interactive traveling exhibit called Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl: Home Sweet Home created by the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in collaboration with the Forest Service.

The educational exhibit features Smokey and Woodsy inspiring children and families to discover and care for natural resources. Visitors are led into imaginary woodland and urban settings where children learn to be explorers and caretakers of the land. Hands-on activities underscore the importance of protecting forest ecosystems and highlight ways to reduce, reuse and recycle valuable resources. Read more »

For nearly 70 years, Smokey Bear has been a fixture in America’s history as the stalwart defender of our forests and his “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” resonates no matter how young or old you are.

So it is apropos that Smokey will help entertain children during the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. The 134^th annual event kicks off April 9 with the theme, Let’s Go! Let’s Play!, Let’s Move!, a reference to First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to encourage healthy activities for children.

More than 35,000 people are expected to attend the day-long event. Activities will include egg rolling, sports courts, cooking demonstrations and “meet and greets” with Smokey and a host of other characters.

Smokey has been immortalized as a wildfire prevention symbol since 1944.

The Forest Service Conservation Education Program works closely with Smokey and other programs, such as the Junior Forest Ranger, to instill in young people their responsibility in helping to protect our natural resources. To find out more about the many programs designed for children and young adults, contact the Forest Service Conservation Education office.

Many tourists in the nation’s capital have stumbled into the historical Sidney R. Yates Federal Building which houses the Forest Service national headquarters by mistake — they were looking for the Holocaust Museum or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is just down the street.  But once inside the Forest Service facility, visitors from all over the world are surprised by the warm welcome they receive and the information available on the importance of forests and wildlife habitats.

Smokey Bear greets visitors and reads his mail at Forest Service Information Center.

This year the information center will welcome its 250,000 visitor. Read more »

Regional Forester Chuck Myers of the U.S. Forest Service's Eastern Region presented the Gold Smokey Bear Award to Fern Shupeck, executive director of the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee Sept. 27.

An exciting and interactive exhibit has reached more than 400,000 museum goers across the country and has been given the highest national award for fire prevention activities. Read more »