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Know Before You Go, vol. 3
News To Use & Helpful Info about YOUR Smokies! |
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August 20, 2010
International Reputation- Smokies' Discover Life In America Program
We all know it, right? Great Smoky Mountains National Park is simply amazing. The special places and the life within them are worth protecting, which is why YOU are a Friend of the Smokies.
Well, right here in our park a science project of massive proportions is happening. It's been happening. It's just a little hard to explain.
What IS the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (and did I even spell it right?!?)
Basically, scientists from all over the whole world are documenting the amazing life forms that we have RIGHT HERE in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Discover Life In America oversees the project for the park.
Visit the Discover Life In America website for more information! |
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Share Your Smokies Videos
From time-to-time, I get e-mails from people...well, that's not so true. I get e-mails everyday. Lots of them. But, sometimes there are such special people who love our Park & want to raise awareness of its beauty and its needs. Dan McCoig is that kind of person.
We've been corresponding for the last several years, and Dan's creativity has resulted in donations to Friends of the Smokies through social networking campaigns. He turns his talent for video into dollars for the Park. THANK YOU, DAN! (Check out Dan's YouTube Channel )
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July 18, 2010
Source- knoxnews.com
All Abuzz About Volunteering
Read all about one Michigan family's summer vacation that included "giving back" by collecting scientific data for rangers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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July 19, 2010 & August 18, 2010
Source- Bob Miller, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This sign has actually been improved, but I don't have a picture of it! |
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Entries into Great Smoky Mountains National Park for June 2010 were up by 15.1%
over June 2009.
Year to date entries up by 3.3% through June.
Gatlinburg was up 4.9%
Townsend was up 4.5%
Cherokee was down by 3.6%
The large increase was driven primarily by a 46.6% jump in June entries at the 13 outlying entrances.
This major increase at the 13 entrances was driven by a 1,100% (ie eleven-fold) increase at Cherokee Orchard Road. Assumedly that big influx represents all the construction traffic with loads of materials running in and out.
Entries into the Park for July 2010 were (almost) flat
compared with July
2009.
January through July year to date, parkwide visitation is up by 2.4%
1,404,034 visitors last month - 56 more people over the 1,403,978 in July of last year.
The three major Park entrances were all up substantially:
Gatlinburg was +7.4%
Townsend was +12.8%
Cherokee was +26.9%
What pulled the overall month's traffic down to "no change" was the 32.4% decline at the 13 Outlying Entrances. That decline was driven by construction-related impacts:
Foothills Parkway in Cocke County, which on average carries almost half of the traffic into the 13 Outlying Entrances, was down by 69.3% because it has been closed since July 12 while it undergoes reconstruction. Cherokee Orchard Road traffic counter registered zero vehicles, and is out of service during construction on Cherokee Orchard and its connecting Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The stats are viewable at: http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/viewReport.cfm |
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July 21, 2010
Source- Greg Johnson, Knoxville News Sentinel
Park Partnerships Key to New Visitors Center
Did you realize that by supporting Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you are making the first real visitors center in North Carolina a reality, complete with educational exhibitry?
Greg Johnson, renowned journalist and author of Sanctuary (inspirational book about Greg's spiritual experiences hiking in the Smokies) explains how park partnerships are essential to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in this great article.
The spring issue of Friends of the Smokies News & Views details some important donations from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the Cannon Foundation, Eastern Band of Cherokees Community Foundation, the Swain County Community Foundation, Friends' North Carolina license plate supporters, and Oconaluftee donation box contributors which will make the $500,000 commitment from Friends of the Smokies attainable.
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Now, Who's Ready for a Coffee Break?
Your daily grind can benefit the Smokies! |
Kevin Price of Blue Smoke Coffee sent this note last week-
"Hey Holly,
So now we officially have 4 outlets offering the LeConte Blend:
Rabbit Food Natural Foods (Sevierville)
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July 23, 2010
Source- Nancy Gray, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
SUMMER WORK PROGRAMS CONNECT TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO SMOKIES RESOURCES
Teachers and students will head back to school with a wealth of knowledge and experience working this summer with Park Rangers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Teacher Ranger Teacher and the High School Student Intern programs are each a 6-week paid work experience for teachers and student interns. Both of these programs allow participants to learn a great deal about the Park through on-site training exercises that enable them to perform ranger duties.
"These programs are mutually beneficial," said the Park's Education Specialist Karen Ballentine. "For the students and teachers, they get an in-depth study of resource education techniques, scientific methods, and field research to enhance their skills and talents, and, in turn, the Park creates advocates through better understanding of and appreciation for the Smokies. Teachers will bring the knowledge into their classrooms and the interns will share their education and experience with friends," she continued.
The two successful programs were expanded to double the number of participants this season thanks to a variety of public/private funding sources. Alcoa, Inc., Friends of the Smokies, Toyota, and two federal grants paid through the Youth Partnership Program and Parks as Classrooms supported 6 teachers and 13 high school students from Tennessee and North Carolina school systems.
During their time in the Park, teachers don a Park Ranger uniform and work alongside Park employees in the field dealing with resource management activities and resource education programs. In the office, teachers are assisting Resource Educators with program development for the popular Parks as Classrooms (PaC) program curriculum for elementary and middle schools and with new curriculum that will be used to expand the PaC program into high school.
Interns assist scientists and Park staff with field research and education projects and interpretive programs while exploring possible career opportunities. They get exposed to and gain knowledge on a variety of areas while working in the Park--wildlife biology, botany, forest ecology, geology, Cherokee history and culture, Appalachian history, and Park management.
The teachers in Tennessee are: Melissa Mynatt (Science), Seymour High School; Debbie Kipp (Spanish), Sevier County High School; and Cindy Davis (Science, Geography, and History), Bridgeport Elementary School of Cocke County. The teachers in North Carolina are Phyllis Kapsalis (Language Arts), Waynesville Middle School; Greg Tucker (Science) Pisgah High School; and Jane Jenkins (school librarian), Jonathan Valley Elementary.
The high school interns are from: Tennessee - Charles Black, Cosby High School; Daniel Love, Sevier County High School; Carmina de Guia, Heritage High School; Mallorie Williams, Maryville High School; Logan Combs, Seymour High School; and Kayleigh Hansen, Gatlinburg-Pittman High School; North Carolina - Tyler Auffhammer, Robbinsville High School; Kate Bradley and Tre Toineeta, Cherokee High School; Bradley Greene and Jessica Viscusi, Swain County High School; Noah Linger, Tuscola High School; and Mattie Graves, Buncombe County Early College.
-NPS-
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July 25, 2010
Source- Knoxville News Sentinel
Think You Know Everything About the Smokies?
Ina Hughs & Doris Gove's quiz will surprise you! Learn more here!
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Vote to help Great Smoky Mountains National Park win $100,00 from Coke.
Until August 31st, your votes can help Great Smoky Mountains National Park win a $100,000 grant from Coke. Although we are America's most-visited national park, right now we're 2nd place in the voting! YOU CAN VOTE REPEATEDLY, SO PLEASE DO!
Thank you to Sam Hobbs for this great image! |
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an independent 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission to help preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and awarenes and providing volunteers for needed projects.
Since 1993, Friends of the Smokies has raised more than $30 million to help support educational programs, historic preservation projects, wildlife protection, and natural and resource conservation in Great Smoky Mountains National park.
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