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Click here to join our mailing list and see lots more great photos like this.  This fun photo of a bear napping is by Scott Turberville.

napping bear
Hike of the Month for September
Mexico is calling... and monarchs are answering!
As summer wanes, the temperature starts dipping, the days get shorter, food plants become desiccated, and the urge to move South sends signals through the bodies of the most beloved of America's butterflies... the monarch.

These orange and black winged wonders travel farther than any other tropical butterfly on a two-way journey for thousands of miles, to forests high in the mountains of Mexico.  How do these "flying flowers" find their way to the same over-wintering sites their relatives left the previous spring?  It's undoubtedly one of the greatest mysteries in nature.

In an effort to understand this amazing migration, organizations like Monarch Watch monitor movements through a tag and release program. 

monarch butterfly

GSMA members and their guests are invited to join naturalist Wanda DeWaard on a monarch tagging venture in Cades Cove on Saturday, September 26.  Light-weight long pants and a broad brimmed hat are strongly recommended, as well as some insect repellent.  Pack a light lunch and water. 

A limited number of butterfly nets will be available to share, but if you have one, bring it along... and a hand lens is always helpful, too.  Butterfly field guides and reference books will be available to help identify other species that may end up in your net.  Remember... butterflies don't dance in the rain, so this program is "weather permitting".

You must register in advance by calling 865-436-7318, ext. 222.  Cut-off for registration is Monday, September 21. The program fee is $15 per person... children 12 and under are free.  

For more information on monarchs check out www.monarchwatch.org or www.worldwildlife.org.
Broad-Winged Hawk Migration
header aThis is the time of year to have your binoculars at the ready as these neotropical migrants gather in flocks, or kettles, to head for their winter grounds in Southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, with some immature birds over-wintering in southern Florida.

The first cold front comes through around September 5-15.  With it these buteos follow the Appalachian mountain range, riding the thermals over land.  They are often seen accompanied by other raptors and are one of the first species to start the migration south.  Flocks can be quite large and the best vantage points are in the higher elevations, i.e. Newfound Gap, Clingmans Dome, Look Rock, and Indian Gap.
Our New Business Members
Here are 15 GSMA Business Members who are supporting your park.  You can view all of the GSMA Business Members by going to www.smokiesinformation.org, click on 'Our Business Members", and pick a category to find a service or product you're interested in. 

To see discounts offered by various Business Members visit our web site,  click on "Discounts and Freebees", and  pick a category that you're interested in.  Some possibilities are Lodging, B & B, Restaurants, Guide Service, Attractions, and others.
 
Please support GSMA Business Members by staying with them, eating at their establishments, purchasing their products, and using their services.  They, as well as our individual members, support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by being members of GSMA.
 
If you own a business and would like to have your business included in this announcement, which is sent to more than 15,000 subscribers, contact Westy Fletcher at 423.487.3131 or [email protected] for more information.

Cades Cove Heritage Tours
P.O. Box 268
Townsend TN 37882
tel: 865.448.8838 Alex Roche'
email: [email protected]
www.cadescoveheritagetours.org
GSMA members in good standing will receive $3.50 off adult tickets and 1.00 off child's ticket price.
 
Smoky Mountain Adventures
P.O. Box 995
Bryson City NC 28713
tel: 828.736.7501 Steve Claxton
email: [email protected]
www.steveclaxton.com
GSMA members in good standing will receive a 10% discount.
 
Hellbender Grill
651 Parkway
Suite 201
Gatlinburg TN 37738
tel: 865.436.6002 Isaac Ogle
email: [email protected]
www.hellbendergrill.com
GSMA members in good standing will receive a 10% discount alcohol excluded.
 
Swain County Chamber of Commerce
210 Main Street
Bryson City NC 28713
tel: 828.488.3681 Karen Wilmot
email: [email protected]
www.greatsmokies.com
 
Miss Lily's Cafe
7765 River Road
Townsend TN 37882
tel: 865.448.1924 Janice Fillmore
email: [email protected]
www.lilybarn.com
 
Smoky Mountain Bed & Breakfast Assoc.
1520 Garrett Lane
Gatlinburg TN 37738
tel: 865.436.3033 Shirley Price
email: [email protected]
www.smokymountainbb.com
 
Great Smokys Cabin Rentals
P.O. Box 2731
1560 East Main Street
Bryson City NC 28713
tel: 828.488.4630 Alan Miller
email: [email protected]
www.greatsmokyscabinrentals.com
GSMA members in good standing will receive a 10% discount on cabin rentals. Holidays excluded.
 
Hidden Mountain Resorts
475 Apple Valley Road
Sevierville TN 37862
tel: 865.453.9850 Kevin Hedrick
email: [email protected]
www.hiddenmountain.com
 
Tremont Outdoor Resort
118 Stables Drive
P.O. Box 5
Townsand TN 37882
tel: 865.448.6363 Wilson Reynolds
email: [email protected]
www.tremontcamp.com
GSMA members in good standing will receive a 10% discount from November through April.
 
LeConte Lodge
250 Apple Valley Road
Sevierville TN 37862
tel: 865.659.0865 Tim Line
email: [email protected]
www.lecontelodge.com
 
Mast General Store
Hwy 194
Valla Crucis NC 28691
tel: 828.963.6511 Deb Lazenby
email: [email protected]
www.mastgeneralstore.com
10% off any single item to GSMA members in good standing. Can not be used with any other offers, not good on sales items, some exclusions apply.
 
The Gatlinburg Inn
755 Parkway
Gatlinburg TN 37738
tel: 865.436.5133 Wilma Maples
email: [email protected]
www.Gatlinburginn.com
 
The Compleat Naturalist
2 Brook Street
Ashville NC 28803
tel: 828.274.5430 Laura Mahan
email: [email protected]
www.compleatnaturalist.com
10% off on products to GSMA members in good standing. Excluding binoculars, telescopes, spotting scopes; sale items and special orders. Discount applies to in-store sales only. Discounted items are non-returnable.
 
Hemlock Inn
911 Galbraith Creek Road
Bryson City NC 28713
tel: 828.488.2885 Mort White
email: [email protected]
www.hemlockinn.com
GSMA members in good standing will receive a 10% discount on lodging.
 
Fryemont Inn
245 Fryemont Street
Bryson City NC 28713
tel: 800.845.4879 Monica Brown
email: [email protected]
www.fryemontinn.com
 
Arrowcraft
576 Parkway
Gatlinburg TN 37738
tel: 865.436.4604 Craig Sponburgh
email: [email protected]
www.southernhighlandguild.org
Join Us on Facebook
Become a fan of the park.  No spam.  We'll send you just one great photo per week.  Click here to see the fan page and enjoy the 8 photo albums containing 400 images of the park.  12,820 devoted fans so far.  This great photo of a bear family was taken in Cades Cove by Gary Turner.  It looks like the mother bear was taking the cubs to the Cove for their vacation too!

bear and 3 cubs
Fun Volunteer Opportunities
Baaaaa....It's Not in the Smokies, But It's Close!
Volunteer to be a goat herder as part of an experiment using gorgeous angora goats to preserve grassy balds in the Roan Highlands.  You get to hang out with these fellows...and have a great view.  If you want to have some fun and do good work, contact The Baaaa-tany Goat Project

baa3
 
Beautify Our Roads and Rivers
Each Spring and Fall Keep Sevier Beautiful sponsors a county-wide roadside, riverbank, and stream clean-up.  The next Roads and Rivers Day is Saturday, September 26th.  Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and volunteers work until noon.  KSB and NPS provide litter pickers, gloves, safety vests, and trash bags.  For more information about clean-up locations, etc., please contact Janice Hendrix of KSB at 865.774.6677.
Foothills Parkway Segments Open to Public
Un-completed Section Re-opens to Recreational Use

foothills parkway bridgeManagers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have announced that the section of the uncompleted Foothills Parkway extending west from Wears Valley Road has been re-opened to non-motorized recreational use.

Kevin FitzGerald, Deputy Superintendent at the Smokies said, "Now that construction activity has been completed for the time being, we welcome the public to hike, ride their bikes or bring their horses onto both sections of the unfinished Parkway. People can go in either from Wears Valley and travel about 4 miles to the dead-end at the Missing Link or they can come in at the Walland end and travel over 9 miles before they have to turn around. The 1.25 miles of the Missing Link between the two partly finished sections is very rugged and overgrown and is closed to horses and bikes and not recommended to hikers."

The Park expects to close both sections again when construction resumes: next spring on the Walland end, and sometime in the summer or fall of 2010 on the Wears Valley segment.
Tour Balsam Mountain Road
Via Video Podcast

balsam mountain road

Click here to take a great trip along Balsam Mountain Road with Valerie Polk!
Special Limited Handmade 75th Pottery Mugs
First Peek!

Each of these mugs is individually hand made in Sevier County.  No two are exactly the same.  This is a limited edition, limited time item created especially to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the park.  The official 75th logo is on each mug.  Gorgeous!

calendar    calendar

Chose which style you'd prefer or get one of each so you can tell which one is yours.
Click here to see a close up of the mug with the oval logo.
Click here to see a close up of the mug with the rectangular logo.
Mountain Life Festival
Saturday, September 19

The Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee will come alive with the sound of Appalachian music as the days of yesteryear bring you home to a world where mountain residents spent their not-so-idle days making apple butter and cider, sorghum, hominy, lye soap and more.

Living history demonstrations will provide visitors with a glimpse into the past... into the simple, yet not so simple, world of the stalwart folks who called these mountains "home".

musicians

Exhibits may include corn husk dolls, quilts, broom-making, old toys and games, heritage apples, food preservation, berry baskets, home remedies and wildcrafting.  With the Fall harvest approaching don't be surprised to find the gardens dressed in an array of orange pumpkins and sorghum canes waiting to be turned into molasses.

Come... join in the celebration!  The Mountain Farm Museum is at Oconaluftee, 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC, on U.S. 441.

Click here to see a short film on living history demonstrations at the Mountain Farm Museum.
GSMA Annual Meeting
Annual Meeting Time is Almost Here!

Invitations have been mailed to members for our Annual Membership Weekend, to be held Sept. 11, 12, and 13 and headquartered at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. The weekend promises to have something of interest for everyone... children are always welcome, too!

The festivities start with a BBQ and entertainment Friday evening.  A full day of indoor and outdoor programs awaits you on Saturday, plus the annual meeting itself, followed by a buffet dinner and entertainment. Enjoy an early morning bird walk, an in-depth program on the Walker Sisters, catch and tag monarch butterflies in Cades Cove, take an interpretive stroll through historic Townsend, learn about early games and skills, open hearth cooking, and much more!

heritage center

If you're still up for it Sunday morning, indulge in a half-day hike to Spruce Flats Falls before heading home.

Registration for programs = $35
Friday and Saturday evening meals and entertainment = $18 each night

To register and for more information, call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222.
50% Off!
Engraved Metal Replica of Historical Stamp

In 1934 the U.S. Postal Service observed "National Parks Year" with a series of stamps depicting national park scenes from across the country.  This special issue of ten postage stamps in denominations of 1-cent to 10-cents was the first series of stamps to be devoted entirely to scenic views from the national parks. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established on June 15, 1934, and was chosen for the 10-cent stamp.  The central subject of the stamps is a view of Mt. LeConte, the third highest peak in the park at 6,593 feet in elevation.  The stamp was released on October 8, 1934 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

75th magnetic pin

This pin has a magnetic closure, so it can adorn either your person (without punching a hole in your shirt) or the side of your refrigerator.  1' x 1 1/2"

Special Reduced Price:  $4 (previously was $8).  Click here to take a look!
Sorghum Making
A Taste of the Smokies

In the old days, people knew how to make work fun! One way was to gather family, neighbors, and friends to take on a big project like turning sorghum cane into delicious sorghum molasses. See how this was done at our annual sorghum making demonstrations in Cades Cove and at the Mountain Farm Museum this fall.

sorghum press

September 19: Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum
September 19-21: Cades Cove Historic Area
November 7-9: Cades Cove Historic Area

We'll have plenty of fresh molasses on hand to sample and purchase.
Click here if you'd like to see the sorghum molasses we sell in the park stores.
GSMA Membership Grows
Economy Down, But GSMA Up

We're more than halfway through 2009 and membership is still climbing despite the not-so-optimistic economy.  This shows awareness of the park's need for our help even in tough times.

Just three years ago GSMA had 5,700 members.  Today we have 11,500.  That's double!  We've set a goal of reaching a membership total of 25,000 within the next three years.  Currently we have over 8,000 individual members and nearly 3,000 supporting (out of which 1,500 are lifetime members).  Business memberships have grown to 120 in less than a year.

If growth continues as shown by these figures we will meet and even exceed that ambitious goal.   And here's where YOU come in!

In a past issue of the Bearpaw a challenge was issued to all our members to obtain a NEW member for us.  This can be done by convincing someone to join on their own or by giving a gift membership to someone.  If only half our current membership did this it would gain us another 5,000-plus members...  and we'd be well on our way to reaching our goal.  And YOU would be making a significant difference to the park!

Won't you join us in accomplishing this goal?  We can do it with YOUR help! Thanks from all of us at GSMA!
GSMA SmartBank Debit Card

calendarSmartBank is offering a SmartGreen account to promote environmental awareness with innovative and unique features that will directly benefit Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

A donation is made to both organizations every time a SmartBank account holder uses their debit card for signature-based transactions.

That sounds really smart.
15% Discount
for GSMA Members!

All Great Smoky Mountains Association Members support the park with every purchase they make while enjoying a 15% discount plus many more benefits such as a free subscription to Smokies Life magazine, Smokies Guide newspaper, Bearpaw newsletter, Cub Report monthly e-newsletter, and discounts at many other parks!  A new Members Only area of the website is being developed where special offers and information will be available via password!
Gift Memberships
Make a charitable donation, support the park, and give a present all at the same time!
Click here to view the possibilities.

Contact [email protected]
Any Questions?
For questions about online purchases, click here and Doug will help you.
For questions about membership, click here and Judy will help you.

For questions about business membership, click here and Westy will help you.