Junior Forest Rangers
The Junior Forest Rangers is a program of the USDA Forest Service that allows children to, after completing a booklet of activities related to outdoor skills, conservation, and forest fire prevention, receive a Junior Forest Rangers badge and identification card.
The Junior Forest Rangers program began in 1953, when a Smokey Bear plush toy produced by Ideal Toys and sold by Macy’s department store came with a card that allowed children to contact Smokey and become a Junior Forest Ranger.[1] In 1955 there were 500,000 Junior Forest Rangers, and Smokey Bear was receiving so much mail that in 1965 he was given his own zip code.[2] The Forest Service re-launched the Junior Forest Rangers program in 2006 with a redesigned booklet, now called an “Adventure Guide.” [3]
References
- ↑ Ronald E. Rice and Charles K. Atkin, Public Communication Campaigns
- ↑ http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/centennial/smokey.shtml
- ↑ http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2006/releases/05/conservation.shtml