Latest news with #DepartmentofNaturalResources'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WA's first Smokey Bear license plate available; funds going to human-caused wildfire campaigns
Washington state will have a new vanity license plate up for grabs-- everyone's favorite wildfire prevention mammal. Smokey Bear is officially taking his show on the road. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a law on Tuesday that would authorize a special license plate depicting Smokey Bear. The purchase of this license plate will help fund the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) efforts to prevent human-caused wildfires and support wildland firefighters. 'It's fitting that our state's first Smokey Bear license plate has been passed by the State Legislature during Wildfire Awareness Month,' Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. 'Approximately 90 percent of wildfires every year are human caused. We couldn't have a better advocate for wildfire prevention crisscrossing Washington along our interstates, highways and roads than Smokey.' Smokey Bear has been the face of wildfire prevention around the world since 1944. 'The Smokey Bear license plate will allow Washingtonians to show their support for firefighters while supporting DNR's efforts to drastically reduce the number of wildfires started by humans. The Smokey Bear license plate will also raise public awareness of wildfire prevention, letting everyone know that we all can help ensure the safety of our neighbors,' DNR wrote on its website. The Smokey Bear license plate will be available for purchase on Nov. 1 for a fee of $40 for the initial plate and a renewal fee of $30.
CBS News
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
DNR's EagleCam couple elopes to new nest
MINNEAPOLIS — The celebrity eagles who star in Minnesota's favorite reality show — the Department of Natural Resources' EagleCam — are apparently attempting to shun the spotlight. The DNR debuted a brand-new EagleCam along the Mississippi River, featuring a new nest, late last year. But after the camera's installation, the chosen birds began building another nest nearby. On Wednesday, the department said it appears the eagles are set to use the new nest for breeding season. The DNR said it has pointed the camera at the new nest, but it's too late in the breeding season to move the camera for a better view. You can still see the birds and nest via the livestream, but the view is obscured by branches. Viewers are likely to see courtship displays in the weeks ahead, the DNR said, preceding the female's egg-laying and, eventually, the birth of a new eaglet or eaglets. A snowstorm in April 2023 caused the previous nest to fall 100 feet from its perch, killing the eaglet inside and causing the EagleCam to go dark. The EagleCam has been allowing Minnesotans an up-close look at the beloved birds for more than a decade.
