June 15, 2016 — COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A forester with Texas A&M Forest Service was honored with the Bronze Smokey Bear Award during today’s Southern Group of State Foresters annual meeting in Mobile, Alabama.
Staff Forester Jonathan Motsinger conceptualized a new way to spread Smokey’s message of personal responsibility in “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” while marrying the thrill of a treasure hunt, the adventure of an outdoor experience and the celebration of the bear’s 70th birthday.
The Smokey Bear 70th Birthday Geocoin project enables geocachers to locate, move and log-in 70 trackable Smokey geocoins in a world-wide network of geocaches.
Since the project launched in August 2014, the coins have been tracked across more than 380,000 miles while visiting all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 15 countries on five continents.
Motsinger’s geocoin wildfire prevention campaign also aligns with the U.S. Forest Service and Texas A&M Forest Service missions to inspire more parents, children and outdoor enthusiasts to spend time outside and reconnect with nature.
“While there is no way to calculate the number of people affected by this outreach and education campaign, we can confidently say that we have been able to impact a new audience with wildfire prevention messages on a national and global scale,” Texas A&M Forest Service Program Coordinator Karen Stafford said. “None of this would have been possible without the forward thinking and progressive ideas of Jon Motsinger.”
For more information about Texas A&M Forest Service geocaching visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/geocaching/
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About the Smokey Bear Awards
Through the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) Program, the USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), and the Advertising Council sponsor the national Smokey Bear Awards to recognize outstanding service in the prevention of human caused wildfires and to increase public recognition and awareness of the need for continuing wildfire prevention efforts. The Smokey Bear Awards are the highest national honor one can receive for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire prevention. This merit award has been bestowed on well-deserving groups and individuals annually since 1957.
Contact
Linda Moon, Communications Manager, 979-450-1160, lmoon@tfs.tamu.edu
Karen Stafford, Program Coordinator, 936-639-8132, kstafford@tfs.tamu.edu