New Products
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All new Trail Patches, exclusive to GSMA!
A new GSMA product that is green in more ways than one: a tote bag made of recycled materials. Use it at the grocery store or anywhere as a eco-friendly replacement for plastic shopping bags. Only $1.95 (!!)
Now we have our own private label GSMA bottled water!
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Migratory Birds
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Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla) This is a common summer resident along streams below 3,500'. It returns in the third week of March and remains until September.
It has a loud song and walks along the shore of streams with a characteristic bobbing motion. You can see them at Fighting Creek behind the park headquarters or along Little River from the Elkmont turn-off to the Townsend "Y" from March to early June.Birds of the Smokies Guide Book
Bird Songs of the Smokies Audio CD
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| Our New Business Members |
Below you will find several new GSMA Business Members who support our park. Please visit them when you're in the area. They, as well as our
individual members, support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by being
members of GSMA.
You can see all of
GSMA's Business Members by clicking on Our Business Members. To see the
discounts offered to GSMA members, go to our website and click on Discounts & Freebies. Then
pick your favorite category and shop.
If you own a business and
would like to be included in this newsletter and our website, contact Westy Fletcher at 423.487.3131 or
Westy@GSMAssoc.org
Newport Federal Bank
170
West Broadway
P.O. Box 249
Newport TN 37821
tel: 423.623.6088 Virginia Brown/Richard Harwood
email: rharwood@newportfederalbank.com
www.newportfederalbank.com
Kizer & Black, Attorneys
329
Cates Street
Maryville TN 37801-4903
tel: 865.982.7650 Cheryl McClanahan
email: cheryl@kizer-black.com
www.kizer-black.com
National Bank of Tennessee
262
East Broadway
Newport TN 37821
tel: 865.623.3025 Keith Ketterman
email: ketterman@nbotbank.com
www.nbotbank.com
Sevierville Chamber of Commerce
110
Gary Wade Blvd.
Sevierville TN 37862-3844
tel: 888.889.7415 Brenda McCroskey
email: bmccroskey@scoc.org
www.visitsevierville.com
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Storm Flattens Caughron Barn
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A brutal wind storm on Christmas Eve, 2009, completely collapsed the Caughron barn on Cades Cove Loop Road. The storm packed winds of 79 miles per hour and knocked down trees and damaged roofs around the area.
The barn was built around 1910 by George Caughron, brother of Kermit Caughron. It was located between stops #13 and #14 on the loop road.
The National Park Service is considering its options, but any restoration of the structure would likely entail a complete re-construction, which is extremely expensive and generally results in a building with compromised historical value.
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Spring Programs Begin March 1
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Starting soon, park rangers will give free presentations for the whole family on a wide variety of topics concerning the Smokies.
Keep a lookout for a posting of all the official guided walks and talks on our Events page.
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| Frozen Rainbow Falls |
Photo of John Potter by Dale Potter
These are some hardy hikers!
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Road Closures Inside the Park
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Temporary Closures
- Cades Cove Loop Road is scheduled to be closed to all public use from March 1-May 21, 2010 for repaving. Weather conditions may affect these closure dates.
- Clingmans Dome Road is scheduled to be closed to all public use from February 15 through May 28, 2010 for repaving.
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is scheduled to be closed to all public use from February 15 through May 28, 2010 for repaving.
- The parking area at the Sinks on Little River Road will be closed through May 25, 2010 for redesign and repaving.
Seasonal opening and closing dates for secondary roads as well as an up-to-date list of all road closures are listed at this link: click here to visit the NPS site.
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Redbud and Red Maples
Trees Coming into Bloom in the Park
Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small tree with beautifully heart-shaped leaves. The famous magenta to pink flowers bloom from mid-March to early April. Redbuds grow in limestone-based soils below 2,000'.
Cherokee children enjoyed eating redbud blossoms and adults made a tea from the bark that was used for treating whooping cough. In Mexico, fried redbud flowers are much revered.
Red Maple (Acer rubrum) has impressive flowers which adorn the mountains in a wash of brilliant red from February through April. It's one of the most common trees in the Smokies, growing from the lowest elevations to 6,000'.
One Cherokee name for the red maple tree means "blood-like." Black dye was made from its bark and spinning wheels from its wood. In 1997, Will Blozan discovered the national champion red maple in the Smokies near the Maddron Bald Trail. It's a true giant, 140' tall and 23' in circumference.
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Early Wildflowers
Hepatica
Photo by Doug Sutherland
Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) blooms as early as February and is gone by late April. Hepatica grows in the low to mid-elevations. Flowers are white, to pink, to blue. Its seeds are dispersed by ants.
Mountain folklore tells farmers to get ready for planting when hepatica appears.
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Bird Talk
Valerie just posted a new video of Carey Jones leading a birdwatching hike in last year's Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.
Wildflower Pilgrimage Registration
The 2010 Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will be held April 21-25. Online registration will begin March 9 and registration ends on April 11.
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Join Us for an "Armchair" Tour of Cades Cove
How to Visit While the Roads are Closed
With
the Cades Cove Loop Road being closed for repaving through May 21, visitors can
still enjoy an "armchair" tour through this historic section of the park... and
not have to cope with the usual bumper to bumper traffic or bear jams!
Join
Allen Coggins at 1:00, Saturday, March 27 in the Sugarlands Training Room for a
powerpoint presentation on the history of the Cove and the people who made it
their home. Allen will take you on
a "drive" through the Cove without ever having to leave your seat... it's like having your own personal
guide!
Seating
is limited and a $5 per person registration fee is required. Call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or 254 to
register.
For
the past few months we've arranged for monthly indoor programs to accommodate
the possibility of inclement weather.
Now that the Winter doldrums will soon be behind us we'll start planning
some outdoor adventures beginning in May.
April finds many of us involved in the 60th Spring Wildflower
Pilgrimage, so we'll schedule our first outdoor program for May. Keep checking
the Cub Report for updates!
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Word of Mouth
How to Help the Park
Photo by Mark Colson
As mentioned in a previous issue, GSMA excelled in
recruiting new members in 2009, but many factors find us facing a major
challenge in 2010.
With
the multiple road closures scheduled in the park (for repaving) through May,
visitation is sure to be affected, and in turn, that means that memberships
purchased at our sales locations will also be affected. Add this to the still lagging economy
and one need not be a rocket scientist to figure out the consequences.
And
here's where you can lend a hand. Consider making friends, family and
acquaintances aware of the benefits they will receive by becoming a member in
GSMA. Our acclaimed magazine, Smokies
Life, is almost reason enough to purchase a
membership. Chock full of
interesting and lesser known topics about the Smokies, its next arrival in a mailbox is
something all members look forward to.
Include the Smokies Guide, Bearpaw, the Cub Report e-newsletter,
the opportunity to take part in monthly programs, an invitation to our annual
membership weekend, AND a 15% discount on merchandise at our sales locations,
and you'd be hard-pressed to find more benefits from any other organization.
Plus...
they can feel good in knowing they're helping the park! And if you, as a current member, give a
gift membership you receive a "special thank you"... an eco-friendly GSMA tote
bag for an individual membership, or a "Mountain Home" book for a supporting membership. Just call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or
254.
Jump on the band wagon and we'll
all be winners!
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Science Cafe
Hosted by Discover Life in America
A scientist will give a brief presentation about the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in the park to kick off the discussion, then the public can discuss scientific topics and how they relate to everyday life. It's a casual, low-key atmosphere where you come and go as you please. Convenient parking at the City Garage at traffic light number 3.
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Gift Memberships
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Give a membership in Great Smoky Mountains Association for a present. Not only does the recipient receive a variety of benefits, including the Smokies Guide newspaper, Bearpaw newsletter, and Smokies Life magazine, and a 15% discount on merchandise, but there's the added benefit of knowing you're helping the park!
And of course, if we're given the recipient's e-mail address they can look forward to receiving the Cub Report e-newsletter, just like the one you're reading now ... full of good articles, information, photos, and wonderful videos to help them enjoy the Smokies even when it's impossible for them to visit in person!
Gift memberships are great for events like birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. No shopping, no wrapping, no mailing! Just a thoughtful and useful gift straight from your heart to theirs.
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Contact Membership@GSMAssoc.org
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Any Questions?
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For questions about online purchases, click here and Doug will help you.
For questions about membership, click here and Judy or Marti will help you.
For questions about business membership, click here and Westy will help you.
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