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Spring Fever in the Smokies -- New Video
Enjoy this peaceful and refreshing
tour of the park in spring by Valerie Polk. You'll see deer cavorting, a bear and her cubs playing, view wildflowers, and hear rushing streams.
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6,000 Park Photos
 Photo of creeping fog in Cades Cove by Kathy Lynn Matthews from our Facebook fan page.
 Join 142,000 fans on Facebook. You don't need to register with Facebook or give out any information to view thousands of awesome photos of the park.
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Follow GSMA on Twitter. 
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If you want to receive one online newsletter a month and no spam. |
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Business Members
In Bryson City & Fontana Area
Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
226 Everett Street
Bryson City NC 28713
800.872.4681
info@gsmr.com
www.gsmr.com
All aboard for rail adventure! With the romance and mystique of an era gone by, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad takes you through a remote corner of Western North Carolina into river gorges, across fertile valleys and through tunnels carved out of mountains.
Choose from a variety of excursions departing from our Bryson City, NC depot: a Raft & Rail combo, the Mystery Theatre Dinner train, or one of our many Special Events.
Take in the panoramic views from your open car, or upgrade to the adults' club car and savor muffins and fresh fruit on the outbound trip along with a champagne toast on your return, all while enjoying the beautiful scenery of Western North Carolina.
GSMA members in good standing will receive $3.50 off adult tickets and $1.00 off child's ticket price.
You can see all of GSMA's Business Members by clicking here. To see the discounts offered to GSMA members, go to our website and click here.
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 Calhoun House Hotel 135 Everett Street P.O. Box 1999 Bryson City, NC 828.488.1234 innkeeper@calhouncountryinn.com www.calhouncountryinn.com Charleston Inn 208 Arlington Ave. Bryson City NC 28713 828.488.464 staywithus@charlestoninn.com www.charlestoninn.com Fontana Village Resort PO Box 62 Hwy 28 Fontana Dam NC 28733 828.498.2211 info@fontanavillage.com www.fontanavillage.com Swain County Chamber of Commerce 210 Main Street Bryson City NC 28713 828.488.3681 chamber@greatsmokies.com www.greatsmokies.com Great Smokys Cabin Rentals P.O. Box 2731 1560 East Main Street Bryson City NC 28713 828.488.4630 rentals@4smokys.com www.greatsmokyscabinrentals.com Hemlock Inn 911 Galbraith Creek Road Bryson City NC 28713 828.488.2885 hemlock@dnet.net www.hemlockinn.com Fryemont Inn 245 Fryemont Street Bryson City NC 28713 800.845.4879 fryemont@dnet.net www.fryemontinn.com
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Spiritual Side of the Smokies Quiz!
Win Cool Prizes
Photo of Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church by Chris Babcock
Test your knowledge of the Spiritual Side of the Smokies by taking our Spiritual Side of the Smokies Quiz. The first person to answer all 12 questions correctly will win a copy of the DVD "Exploring the Smokies" and the "Churches of the Smokies" book. |
Easter sunrise in the park from Facebook by Danny Ramey
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GSMA Wins 8 APPL Awards!
Books, Magazine, Guides, Programs, Website, and Video
From left, Publications Specialist Karen Key, Senior Publications Specialist Joey Heath, Interpretive Products and Services Director Steve Kemp, Senior Media Specialist Carolyn Jourdan, Publications Specialist Lisa Horstman and Media Specialist Valerie Polk.
Great Smoky Mountains Association came away as the big winner in the 2011 Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL) Media and Partnership Awards competition. The Smokies' association won four first place prizes and four Honorable Mentions, more than any of the other 80+ organizations who are members of APPL. GSMA's winners are: - Frequently Asked Questions About Smoky Mountain Black Bears (book), First Place, General Interest Publications Category - Hike the Smokies Challenge, First Place, Education Program/Project Category - Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Thirty Years of American Landscapes (book), First Place, Non-partner Published Category - Great Smoky Mountains National Park Mobile Guide (Smart Phone App), First Place, Multi-media Project/Program Category - Great Smoky Mountains Association Website www.SmokiesInformation.org, Honorable Mention, Multi-media Project/Program Category - Searching for Life in the Great Smoky Mountains Electronic Field Trip and Website, Honorable Mention, Education Program/Project Category [DVDs of the Electronic Field Trip are for sale.] - Things to See & Do in 2 to 3 Hours from Oconaluftee and Sugarlands Visitor Centers (brochures), Honorable Mention, Visitor Guides Category - Smokies Life Magazine, Honorable Mention, Membership/Fundraising Program or Project. GSMA's winning projects ranged from traditional books and brochures to iPhone apps, a website, and an electronic field trip that over three million school kids participated in via satellite feed and the Web. The "Hike the Smokies Challenge" is a multi-faceted program in which park visitors log their hikes and are awarded pins for reaching the 100-mile, 250-mile, and 500-mile levels. The program also includes a series of videos demonstrating basic logistical and safety information related to hiking in the park.
APPL is an umbrella organization that serves nonprofit partner groups like Friends organizations and cooperating associations that provide support for national parks, national forests, state parks, and Bureau of Land Management and Army Corps of Engineer sites across the country. This year their annual convention and awards ceremony was held in Dallas. To check out some of GSMA's award-winning products, just visit our award-winning website, www.SmokiesInformation.org.
See the award-winning products in our store in the column to the left of this story! |
Carter Shields Cabin by Christine Rich Romano from Facebook
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Go on a Salamander Foray
Great Program for Kids and Adults |
Join former park ranger Carey Jones for a Salamander Foray on Saturday, May 21. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known as "The Salamander Capital of the World" with 30 species known to live here. Enter the world of these fascinating, moisture-loving creatures and see how many you can find and identify. You might consider purchasing a copy of our Reptiles and Amphibians of the Smokies book at one of our sales locations before setting out on the trail. It contains pictures and information on the salamanders. Carey will meet you at Sugarlands Visitor Center at 10:00 am. The program will take place on the Ash Hopper Branch Trail across from the RV parking lot. There is a $10 fee for adults... children under 12 are free! Call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or 254 to register. Kids always enjoy trying to find these little rascals... so get out there and have some fun! |
| Wildflower and Wildlife Updates | |
Dogwood on Middle Prong from Facebook by Richard Bernabe
Recommended Spring Hikes
Early May is a superb time to Hike to Mt. Le Conte. At the base of the mountain it will be late spring, but as you ascend it's like turning back the calendar to late winter/early spring on the summit.
Alum Cave Bluff Trail is the shortest route (5 miles one way) and offers excellent wildflowers. Another alternative is to hike up on Rainbow Falls Trail (6.7 miles one way) and down on Bullhead Trail (6.4 miles one way). Both routes begin and end at the Rainbow Falls/Bullhead Trail parking area on Cherokee Orchard Road, 3.5 miles from downtown Gatlinburg.
Even for experienced hikers, this is a long day. You'll need to start early, carry lots of water and food, and have rain gear, jacket, hat, and gloves in your pack. Yes, really. For more information, check out our GSMA-published Hiking Trails to Mt. Le Conte Map & Guide. May Flowers The merry month of May is second only to April for abundance of wildflower blooms in the Great Smoky Mountains. Species you may enjoy this month include fire pink, columbine, yellow star grass, wake robin, painted trillium, blue phlox, bleeding heart, wood betony, and mountain laurel.
Breeding Birds Courtship and nest making are now in high gear in the Smokies. A sharp eye and stealthy approach in proper habitats should reveal such avian gems as Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Canada Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and the Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Animal Babies What's getting born in the Smokies this month? Bobcats, Long-tailed weasels, and white-tailed deer, amongst others. If you find a fawn or other baby wild animal, remember to leave it alone. Its mother is likely to be nearby waiting nervously for you to leave. If you take the juvenile to a ranger station or other facility, chances are the animal will die.
Synchronous Firefly Season Mid-June is when the local fireflies put on their amazing synchronized light shows. The area near Elkmont Campground is the most popular place to watch the phenomenon. Because of limited parking there, persons must ride shuttle buses from Sugarlands Visitor Center to access Elkmont from June 4 - 12. The fireflies do their light thing at other locations in the park as well, generally in more open areas not far from water and below elevations of 3,500 feet.
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Photo of thunderstorm at Clingmans Dome by Tom Miller |
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New Visitor Center Open at Oconaluftee
Come See the Beautiful New Exhibits
The new visitor center at Oconaluftee is open and is getting rave reviews! Click on the link above to see video of the new building.
The splendid 6,300 square foot environmentally-friendly facility was funded 100% by GSMA and other park partners. GSMA provided over $3 million and the Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains contributed over half a million.
The Visitor Center focuses on the cultural history of the area, highlighting the Cherokee. The exhibits start with Native Americans, the Early People. European settlers came along in in the 1790's. There are many fascinating exhibits and displays about life in the old days and old ways.
"Ninety-five percent of the park is about the natural world, but so many of the visitors really connect more with the human history side of the park," said Terry Maddox, Executive Director of the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The nonprofit supports the park's educational, scientific and historical programs and built the visitor center with money from bookstore sales and memberships.
"I enjoy hiking more if I know a little bit about where I am walking," Maddox said.
This new complex replaces a 1,700 square foot building that was too small for the 300,000 visits it received every year. Now the restrooms are in their own new building which is the same size as the previous entire Visitor Center.
The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is open 7 days a week from 8 to 6. It's located two miles north of Cherokee, NC on U.S. 441 (Newfound Gap Road). Admission is free.
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Photo of a young bear foraging for food by Douglas McPherson. This is a tough time of year for the animals who are just coming out of the den, hungry. There is not much vegetation available yet for them to eat. So stay back. Enjoy seeing them, but stay well away from them while they are trying to find food. |
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Cosby in the Park
May 21
This annual event showcases mountain music, demonstrations, crafts, nature walks, talks, and more.
Come join the celebration of culture and heritage. From 10-5 at Cosby Campground.
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Mouse Creek Falls by Ulrich Burkhalter from Facebook |
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Kephart Days
April 29-May 1
Lots of wonderful events: tours, music, interesting talks. More information is available at http://www.HoraceKephart.com
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Wildflowers of the Smokies Quiz
Winner! |
Answers to Last Month's Quiz on Wildflowers of the Smokies:
1. This white flower, with many golden stamens, is in the poppy family and generally blooms from mid-March to mid-April in moist deciduous woods. - Wild Potato Vine
- Galax
- Bloodroot
- Fairy Wand
- Grass of Parnassus
2. This beauty has five white or pale pink petals with darker pink veins. One of the earliest wildflowers, it can bloom from late February to May. Bears and wild hogs are known to eat its tubers. - White Trillium
- False Solomon's Seal
- Bishop's Cap
- Spring Beauty
- Indian Pipe
3. This plant is a parasite. It lacks chlorophyll and its roots penetrate oak roots. It's considered a delicacy for black bears. - Little Brown Jug
- Squaw Root
- Dutchman's Pipe
- Jack in the Pulpit
- Indian Pipe
4. This intricately petaled flower is known for mass displays resembling a dusting of snow. On close inspection its petals are delicate and resemble tassels. It blooms from late March to May in mid to high elevations. - Wild Stonecrop
- Canada Violet
- Wood Anemone
- Wild Geranium
- Fringed Phacelia
5. Which of the following is NOT in the orchid family? - Whorled Pogonia
- Toothwort
- Yellow Lady's Slipper
- Showy Orchis
- Pink Lady's Slipper
6. This is a host plant for the caterpillar of the American Painted Lady butterfly. - Crested Dwarf Iris
- Stonecrop
- Foamflower
- Pussy Toes
- Trout Lily
7.Squirrel Corn has a scent reminiscent of: - Narcissus
- Roses
- Hyacinths
- Lily of the Valley
- Lilacs
8. Which trillium has a maroon "paint" splashed on the inner base of each petal? - Vasey's Trillium
- Wake Robin Trillium
- Sweet White Trillium
- Painted Trillium
- Catesby's Trillium
9. Which insect helps spread the pollen of the Wild Ginger? - Honey Bee
- Ant
- Butterfly
- Gnat
- Fly
10. Which tiny white flower that blooms in April/May looks like a pontifical hat when examined with a hand lens? - Downy Rattlesnake Plantain
- Foamflower
- Fly Poison
- Galax
- Bishop's Cap
11. Which flowering plant is being used in modern medical research with findings of anti-cancer properties, and is also being used actively against lung and breast cancer? - Umbrella Leaf
- May Apple
- Cancer Root
- Smooth Solomon's Seal
- Fairy Wand
12. Which flower in the Logania family is a source of the poison strychnine and the extract of its roots was used by the Cherokee and later European settlers as a treatment for intestinal parasites? - False Helebore
- Filmy Angelica
- Fire Pink
- Indian Pink
- Indian Cucumber
And the winner is: Perry Fuqua of Tennessee |
| Any Questions? | For questions about online purchases, click here and the Mail Order department 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. |
Join
Us! | Become a member of Great Smoky Mountains Association today. You'll receive discounts at our park stores of up to 25% and receive premiums like Smokies Life magazine and the Bearpaw newsletter. Most importantly, you'll be helping protect nature and history in the Smokies. |
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