Introducing Forest Ranger Betty White!

Another new gig for America’s Senior Sweetheart Betty White: The former Golden Girl fulfilled a lifelong dream when she was christened as an honorary ranger by the US Forest Service on Tuesday.

“Wilderness is harder and harder to find these days on this beautiful planet, and we’re abusing our planet to the point of almost no return,” White said during an afternoon ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, which featured an appearance by Smokey the Bear. “In my heart I’ve been a forest ranger all my life, but now I’m official.”

White was presented with a badge and the trademark ranger’s Stetson hat, which she promptly put on. The devoted animal lover, 88, dreamt of becoming a forest ranger while growing up in California, but back in those days, women weren’t allowed to hold the position. The first woman to serve as a fire lookout was Hallie Daggett, who was hired in 1913 to spot fires in California’s Klamath National Forest. Today women make up 38 percent of the Forest Service’s work force. Yay for Girl Power!