Smokey Bear sign stolen at Spooner Summit
Submitted by paula on Thu, 01/25/2024 - 1:11pm
LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The US Forest Service is looking for the bear-napping culprit who removed Smokey Bear from the roadside sign on Spooner Summit on US50.
Earlier this week, US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) fire prevention officers discovered the Smokey Bear fire Danger sign on Spooner Summit had been vandalized and Smokey Bear is missing. These fire danger signs are strategically placed along highways around Lake Tahoe to alert the public to the current fire danger rating.
They are also not cheap to replace.
U.S. Highway 50 over Spooner Summit is a well-traveled highway, and LTBMU hopes someone saw something that will help them recover Smokey.
A police report was filed. Per the Code of Federal Regulations, this theft could fall under one of the following: 18 USC 1361 (Destruction Of Government Property), 18 USC 641 (Protection of Government Property), or 36 CFR 261.9(b) (Damaging or Removing Government Property).
If anyone saw anything suspicious or out of place or knows the whereabouts of the sign, call the LTBMU front desk at 530-543-2600 or email them at sm.fs.paltbmu@usda.gov and help us bring Smokey Bear home.