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A “Smokey Bear” sign was swiped from the Otis Pike Preserve – West in Manorville, officials said.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers are asking for the public’s help regarding the sign’s theft and destruction. and theft of a sign erected at DEC’s Otis Pike Preserve – West.
The sign was installed at the intersection of Line Road and Grumman Road in Manorville on Aug. 9 to honor Smokey Bear’s 75th anniversary as the nation’s forest fire prevention symbol. The sign appears to have been cut down during the week of Oct. 7, the DEC said.
The sign was located on a 20-acre grassland field east of Line Road and just south of Grumman Road in Manorville. The field has been used by DEC forest rangers and volunteers to teach about wildfire control efforts, such as prescribed fires.
Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation is encouraged to call DEC’s Office of Public Protection at (518) 408-5858.
