Gatlinburg Welcome Center Needs You
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GSMA and the national park sure could use some friendly faces to volunteer at the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. The visitor center is located between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg on U.S. 441.
The work entails answering visitor questions and providing information on destinations and resources of the park. Even one 4-6 hour shift per week could be a big help!
If you're interested, email Alice@GSMAssoc.org or GWC@GSMAssoc.org
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| Our New Business Members | 
River Rat Tubing & USA Raft
205
Wears Valley Road
Townsend TN 37882
tel: 865.448.8888 Taz Cable
email: tubing8888@aol.com
www.smokymtnriverrat.com
GSMA
members in good standing will receive $3 off rafting, $1 off tubing, and up to
$8 off combo packages
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
Old Mill
175
Old Mill Avenue
Pigeon Forge TN 37863
tel: 865.806.4700 Laurie Faulkner
email: lauriefaulkner@old-mill.com
www.oldmillsquare.com
Cabin Fever Vacations
2519
Sand Pike Road
Pigeon Forge TN 37863
tel: 865.908.1919 Valerie Otto
email: reservations@cabinfevervacations.com
www.cabinfevervacations.com
GSMA Members in good standing will receive a 10%
discount.
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Road Openings and Closings
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ET on Charlies Bunion by Kevin J. Rowland
The following construction projects are now complete: Clingmans Dome Road, Cades Cove Loop Road, Heintooga Ridge Road, the Sinks, Cosby Campground, and Smokemont Campground.
And Cherokee Orchard Road is open, providing access to Rainbow Falls Trail and the trail to Grotto Falls. Come take a look at how well everything turned out! Here are updates on other projects underway:
Roaring
Fork Motor Nature Trail - A new completion date is to be determined. The work involves resurfacing the 5.6 mile road with asphalt concrete
pavement and will include resurfacing all existing parking areas,
trailheads, and roadside pullouts.
Foothills
Parkway (Cocke County) - The repaving of this road will begin in late
May and is scheduled for completion on Tuesday, August 31. Note: During
this period of construction, the road will be closed to all public use
for a four week period. The dates of this closure have not been
determined but will be posted on the Park's website.
Little River
and Jakes Creeks Trailheads - The trailheads will be closed from July 6
through August 31 and will affect trailhead parking. Due to the lack of
available trailhead parking, visitors are advised to utilize other Park
trails during this period. The trailhead work will result in paved
parking spaces.
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New Visitor and Information Centers
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OVC Construction Photo by Terry Maddox
Clingmans Dome
Come check
out one of the most successful bathroom to information station
conversions in the history of architecture! When the National Park
Service decided to close down the historic restrooms at Clingmans Dome
because of a septic system that threatened the high elevation
environment, some creative thinkers wondered if it might make a good
information center.
Come see for yourself. Not only did the work
restore some of the historic attributes of the building's exterior, it
also created a cozy little nook to learn more about the plants, animals,
and history of this top-of-the-world locale.
Oconaluftee
Construction of the new Oconaluftee
Visitor Center is well under way. The facility is slated to open in late
2010. It will contain the park's first full-fledged history museum.
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Fawn and its mother by Bob Howdeshell
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Sorghum Molasses Making in
Cades Cove
Free Samples for Tasting!
Cades Cove Panorama by Charlie Choc
Stop by the Cable Mill Historic Area near Cades Cove Visitor Center to watch historic reenactors squeeze sorghum cane and boil the juice into delicious molasses. September 4-6, September 17-19, November 5-7, and November 12-14.
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Bird Quiz with Prizes
Win a Bird Book and Bird Song CDs!
Great Blue Heron by Jeanne Rearick
Click here to take our fun Birds of the Smokies Quiz.
The first person to answer the 12 multiple-choice questions correctly will receive a copy of the guidebook Birds of the Smokies and the two-audio CD Boxed Set of Bird Songs of the Smokies.
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August Andrews Bald Hike
Should Help Beat the Heat
Deer amid thick Queen Anne's Lace that looks like snow by Debbie Brockman
The azaleas may have lost their
blooms, but the view will still be spectacular as you gaze down on Fontana Lake
and survey the surrounding mountains from atop one of the Smokies' premier high
elevation spots.
Join Christine Hoyer, volunteer
coordinator of the Trails Forever program, for a 3.8 round trip hike to Andrews
Bald on Saturday, August 28th. Meet at the Clingmans Dome parking area at 9:00 a.m. and wear good
hiking boots and bring rain gear... just in case. Pack water and a light lunch to
eat when you arrive at the bald. A hiking stick may be advisable as the trail
is quite rocky and steep.
Learn about the Trails Forever
program and witness firsthand some of the beneficial results of its trail
improvement projects. Andrews Bald was one of the first of the park's hiking
trails to be improved under this program.
Reservations are required and
limited to 20 participants. A fee of $10 per person will be donated to the
Trails Forever Endowment... and you will know you've personally helped with this
maintenance program! Call
865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or 254 to register by August 25th.
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Llamas Hike to LeConte Video
Enjoy this video by Walter Wuthmann showing the llama train packing supplies to LeConte Lodge.
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National Public Lands Day
View of Fontana from Shuckstack by Jennie Thielke
We are fortunate here in the
Smokies to have access to over 800 miles of trails that lead us to our favorite
outdoor destinations.
If you and
your family are interested in helping maintain this valuable resource, come out
and volunteer for National Public Lands day on September 25, from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
There will be two service
projects going on in the park, one on the Cosby nature trail out of Cosby
Campground, the other on the Smokemont nature trail out of Smokemont Campground.
Volunteers will participate in
installing signs, leveling trail tread, and improving drainage. Trail volunteers must be at least 12
years old.
To sign up for this wonderful
opportunity, RSVP by September 17 to Trails & Facilities Volunteer
Coordinator Christine Hoyer at (828) 497-1949 or email her at Christine_Hoyer@nps.gov
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Teacher-Rangers
From left to right are Debbie Kipp of Sevier County High School, Melissa Mynatt of Seymour High School, and Cindy Davis of Bridgeport Elementary School. Photo by Valerie Polk
The Teacher-Ranger-Teacher (TRT) Program links national park units with
teachers from local schools or under-served urban and rural school
districts.
Under the TRT program, selected teachers spend the summer working as park
rangers, performing various duties depending on their interests and the
needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive
programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk,
developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special
projects.
During the school year, these teacher-rangers bring the parks into the
classroom by developing and presenting curriculum-based lesson plans that
draw on their summer's experience. In April, during National Park Week,
teacher-rangers wear their NPS uniforms to school, discuss their summer as
a park ranger, and engage students and other teachers in activities that
relate to America's national parks.
The teachers in Tennessee are funded by Alcoa through Friends of the Smokies
and a federal Parks as Classrooms grant.
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GSMA Annual Membership Get-Together is September 10-12
Coyote in Cades Cove by the Wiley Sam McDonald
Headquartered at The Center
for the Arts in Bryson City, NC, the annual membership weekend promises to be
another fun and educational event.
A BBQ with mountain
music at Deep Creek pavilion on Friday evening will kick-off the weekend.
Saturday's offerings include numerous hikes, a Smoky
Mountain Railroad excursion, and indoor programs, followed by the annual
meeting, a buffet, and Celtic music. There will be a half-day hike on Sunday.
All members should
expect their invitation to arrive by mail shortly. Reservations must be made by
September 3. To register, call 865-436-7318, extension 222 or 254.
Hope to see you
there!
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Cherokee-Sugarlands-Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Shuttle
Cherokee Transit Protects Park Air Quality
Click here to see the details.
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New Park Guides Available Via iPhone
Customize with New Bear Guide, Cades Cove Day Hikes, and Lots More!
Photo of Fontana taken from Shuckstack by Jenny Thielke
Do you have an iPhone or iTouch?
If you do, then check out the new applications created by GSMA and Nomad Mobile Guides!
The Smokies Visitor Guide App is
totally FREE!
The Best of the Great Smoky Mountains App is $4.99.
Or Create Your Own Custom Guide!
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Gift Memberships
| 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, 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?
| 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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Cades Cove Quiz Winner!!
| Winner of last month's Cades Cove contest: Susan Wiltrout, Pennsylvania
Answers To Questions:
#1: This question asked for your email address (only so we could contact the winner).
#2: Otter Place
#3: 2,000,000
#4: 1818
#5: Sparks Lane
& Hyatt Lane
#6: John Oliver and family
#7: Russell Gregory
#8: 150-300
acres
#9: General store
#10: Elijah Oliver's place
#11 "Hamp" Tipton's
place
#12: Henry Whitehead cabin & Dan Lawson's place
#13: Overshot wheel
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