Smokey Bear & ODNR Added to Portsmouth Floodwall Murals

Article Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc.

(Portsmouth) – Smokey Bear and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are now a prominent fixture along the famous Portsmouth Floodwall. The mural, completed by artist Robert Dafford, is the result of a two-year partnership between the ODNR Division of Forestry and Portsmouth Murals Inc. The floodwall depicts several murals highlighting the history of the Ohio River Valley.
 
Dafford began his first mural on the Portsmouth Floodwall in 1993. He has since completed 55 murals that fill the now well-known wall. The new Smokey Bear mural can be found on Second Street on the west end of Portsmouth. The mural depicts Smokey Bear, Shawnee State Forest, and pictures of wildland firefighters of both the past and present.
 

Representatives of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Division of Forestry, Portsmouth Murals Inc., and local leadership held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Portsmouth Floodwall Smokey Bear Mural in Portsmouth, Ohio.

 
“We are pleased to see this concept come to fruition,” said Dan Balser, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry. “Robert Dafford has done a fantastic job encapsulating the rich history of wildland firefighting in the Portsmouth area and many other rural Ohio communities.”
 
The mural features Shawnee State Forest, dubbed “The Little Smokies of Ohio.” Shawnee is one of the largest of Ohio’s state forests, with more than 60,000 acres. This working forest is managed to provide a variety of uses on a sustainable basis, including, timber harvesting, tree planting, wildlife habitat, forestry research, watershed and soil protection, and production of tree seeds. During the spring and fall forest fire danger periods, state forest crews detect and suppress wildfires on state and private lands within the surrounding protection area.
 
Hundreds of wildfires occur yearly in Ohio, many of which are in close proximity to homes and threaten public safety. Nearly all wildfires in Ohio are caused by people and, therefore, are preventable with some thoughtfulness and care. This mural helps bring awareness to wildfires, celebrates the history of wildland firefighting in the state, and points to Smokey Bear, the nation’s most significant wildfire prevention symbol.