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Is Smokey Bear's message outdated? That's where Burnie the Bobcat comes in

A billboard with Burnie the Bobcat on it. (Emily Schlickman)
A billboard with Burnie the Bobcat on it. (Emily Schlickman)

One of the most successful public service announcements in history turns 80 years old this year. Since 1944, The U.S. Forest Service has used Smokey Bear as a symbol to encourage wildfire prevention. But a new exhibit in California asks the public to envision an alternative fire message and what a new mascot could look like.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with curator Emily Schlickman, assistant professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at the University of California Davis.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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