Poster contest winners named

Three Priest River Elementary students have won top honors at the state level in the annual Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl poster contest.

Charlotte McLaughlin, Breanna Clark and Meric Glazier each won first place in their respective divisions for entries they created for the contest last fall. Recently, each was awarded a Smokey Bear backpack for their victories.

This year's contest is underway and contest coordinator reminds all first through fifth graders that posters must be ready for judging by Nov. 15. All students, including home schoolers are invited to take part.

The rules and information are available at the West Bonner County School District Office in Priest River, by emailing paunan@idl.idaho.gov, or calling 208-443-2516, Monday through Friday.

According to his website, Smokey has been working hard since 1944 to inspire Americans to prevent wildfires.

The inspiration for Smokey comes from a 1950 fire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. While battling the fire, crews received a report of a lone bear cut wandering near the fire line, according to smokeybear.com. Crews hoped the mother bear would return for him. Soon, however, about 30 of the firefighters were caught directly in the path of a firestorm and survived by lying face down on a rockslide for over an hour as the fire burned past them.

The little cub didn’t fare so well. He had taken refuge in a tree that was completely charred by the fire. He escaped with his life, but his paws and hind legs were badly burned.

The crew got the cub, who would later be named Smokey, down from the tree and a crew member agreed to take him home.

A New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ranger heard about the cub when he returned to the fire camp. The ranger then drove to the rancher’s home to help get the cub on a plane to Santa Fe, where his burns were treated and bandaged.

News about the bear, spread and soon letters flooded the agency — all wanted to know how he was doing.

The state game warden wrote of the U.S. Forest Service chief, offering to present the cub that agency as long as he would be dedicated to a conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program.

“The cub was soon on his way to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., becoming the living symbol of Smokey Bear,” the website notes.

According to Wikipedia, Woodsey Owl got his start in 1970 as part of a United States Forest Service campaign to raise awareness of protecting the environment.

His first slogan, “Give a hoot, don’t pollute,” was officially introduced on Sept. 15, 1971 by then-Secretary of Agriculture Clifford Hardin.