Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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PRESS RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Holly Scott
865-441-0553
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Friends of the Smokies Purchases Land Adjacent to National Park
KODAK, TN - SEPTEMBER 13, 2010- Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the successful bidder in a public auction of 20 acres of land surrounded on three sides by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The not-for-profit organization bought the two 10-acre tracts on Saturday, September 11, 2010 for $775,000.
 
Courtesy of McCarter Auction Company
Map
Major funding for the land purchase was made possible from proceeds from Friends' annual Ogle-Fulmer "Picnic in Pittman for the Park" fundraiser over the last ten years.  The Foothills Land Conservancy also partnered with Friends of the Smokies in the purchase.
 
"In addition to providing this rare opportunity for the Park to add 20 acres of prime property to its holdings, we also fulfilled our annual Needs List commitment of about $1.5 million to the Park this week," said Friends of the Smokies President Jim Hart.
 
This list of projects funded by Friends of the Smokies this year is on the organization's website at http://www.friendsofthesmokies.org/needs.html which includes $600,000 for the Trails Forever endowment to help maintain the Smokies 800+ miles of hiking trails in perpetuity.  For more information, visit http://smokiestrailsforever.org/ .
Courtesy of McCarter Auction Company
 
Photo of new Park acreage.
 
Since 1993, Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, has raised more than $30 million to support educational programs, historic preservation projects, conservation of natural and cultural resources, and wildlife research and protection in the Smokies.
 
 
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