Friends Of Smokey Bear Balloon

Friends Of Smokey Bear Balloon is a tax-exempt non-profit organization registered in SAM.gov since July 2004, operating from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The organization specializes in providing a unique, specialized service to the U.S. Forest Service: operating a distinctive hot air balloon featuring the iconic Smokey Bear mascot to support federal agencies' environmental education and wildfire prevention outreach initiatives. This specialized asset has positioned the organization as a niche federal contractor with an established track record of supporting the Forest Service's public education missions across multiple regional offices and geographic locations throughout the United States.

Since 2023, Friends Of Smokey Bear Balloon has received eight prime federal contract awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, totaling approximately $61,565.28 in contract value. All awards have been firm fixed-price purchase orders with no set-aside designations, reflecting the organization's unique and specialized role. The contracts have been distributed across multiple Forest Service regions, including Region 2 (Rocky Mountain Region), Region 3 (Southwestern Region), Region 5 (Pacific Southwest Region), and Region 9 (Eastern Region), with contract values ranging from $4,253 to $10,314.18. The services provided consistently involve deploying the Smokey Bear hot air balloon at public events, festivals, and community gatherings—including the Montague Balloon Fair in California (multiple years), the MBR Steamboat Springs Balloon Rodeo in Colorado (multiple years), the White Mountain Balloon Festival in Arizona, and the Mark Twain National Forest Fire Prevention Eclipse Event. The organization serves as the prime contractor on all awards with no identified subcontractors, delivering complete balloon operations and display services to support the Forest Service's wildfire prevention awareness campaigns and grassroots environmental stewardship messaging at public venues across the nation.