Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2013 --- 1:30 p.m.

Press Release from the DNR:

Public's help needed to find missing Smokey sign

(Note: The picture to the right is what the Smokey Bear sign would look like attached to a display)

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in the case of the Smokey Bear sign. The sign is a 6-foot tall reflective aluminum sign stolen from private property in the last two to three weeks. The sign was located at the corner of Durward's Glen Road and Highway 78 in the Town of Caledonia. This is in the Merrimac area of Columbia County.

The landowner and the local emergency fire warden are hoping to get this valuable public information sign back in service. If you have any information about the missing Smokey Bear sign, please contact the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at 608-742-4166. You also may contact the Crime Stoppers number, 1-800-293-TIPS(8477), or your local DNR conservation warden. Callers are eligible for a reward for up to $1,000 for leading to the recovery of the stolen sign along with the prosecution of those people responsible for the theft.