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Historic Smokey portraits on display at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
Ketchikan, Alaska – Smokey will celebrate 75 years at the forefront of the Forest Service’s wildfire
prevention campaign this August. Replicas of historic portraits by artist Rudolph Wendelin are traveling travel to National Forests across the country to commemorate Smokey’s contributions to the U.S. Forest Service and wildfire prevention. The touring exhibit
consists of 19 replicas provided by the National Agricultural Library. The Tongass National Forest is honored to host the tour at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, 50 Main Street, in Ketchikan from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 14. During
this time, the center will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be closed Sunday and Monday. Wendelin created hundreds of Smokey representations that highlighted natural resource conservation and wildfire prevention. Under his direction, Smokey assumed the softer human
features, ranger’s hat, jeans and shovel for which he is best known. For interviews and information to be used for publication, contact the Tongass Public Affairs Officer at 907-228-6201.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the
economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 30 percent of the nation’s surface drinking water to cities and rural communities and approximately 66 million Americans rely on drinking water that originated from the National Forest
System. The agency also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
Protect Nature’s Beauty for Future Generations was painted by Wendelin in 1985, and published in 1987.
It depicts Smokey in the left foreground facing the audience, pointing to a scenic view in the background.
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