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Appalachian Holiday Traditions Quiz
 Photo by Valerie Polk
Click here to take our newest quiz about Appalachian Holiday Traditions.
The first person to answer all 12 questions correctly will win a copy of 2013 Great Smoky Mountains Wall Calendar and a porcelain black bear pendant.
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The Deer Rut is On
 Photo by Charlie Choc
White-tailed deer are now in mating mode throughout the national park. Bucks are locking antlers and sparring with rivals and chasing does hither and yon.
This annual ritual usually lasts into January. Good places to witness the rut are Cades Cove and open areas around Sugarlands and Elkmont.
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Christmas Bird Count
The time is rapidly approaching for the 113th annual Christmas Bird Count. At least two groups plan to work the Gatlinburg and Cades Cove areas of the park. This year's count, coordinated by the National Audubon Society, will happen sometime between December 14 and January 5. For more information contact the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.
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Limited Ed. Kephart Knife
 Photo by Valerie Polk
Now available, exclusively from Great Smoky Mountains Association, your first opportunity to purchase a numbered, limited-edition Kephart Knife. Numbers 11 - 30 have just become available (out of 150). The price is $419.99.
If you want a specific number, we will do our best to provide it, but can not guarantee it will be available. Item #650734. Click here to see a video by Valerie Polk of how our custom knife maker Glenn Brooks creates each knife.
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Seasonal Road Closures
December 3: Clingmans Dome Road closed.
December 1: Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail closed.
Also, Balsam Mountain, Heintooga Ridge, Round Bottom, Straight Fork, Parson Branch, and Rich Mountain roads are closed, and LeConte Lodge is closed for the season.
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Upcoming Events
Christmas Past
Sugarlands Visitor Center
Join us on Saturday, December 8, 10-4 for a celebration of Christmas Past! Full details on our blog.
Holiday Homecoming
Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Come by on Saturday, December 15
10-12:30 for hands-on activities and
a holiday music jam from 1-3.
Click here for more information on upcoming events.
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Business Members
 The Park Vista
705 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
800.222.TREE Reservations jbrown@parkvista.com
www.parkvista.com
The Park Vista Gatlinburg is a Doubletree Hotel known for its spectacular views and exquisite service. Overlooking the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the quaint city of Gatlinburg, each guestroom has its own private balcony with amazing views. Conveniently located on the City's Trolley Route.
All guestrooms include a 42" flat screen television, refrigerator and wireless high-speed internet access. Other hotel amenities include:* In-room Dining* Business Center * Complimentary Wireless HISA in public areas* Spectacular Indoor Pool / Water Park* Outdoor Playground & Arcade* State-of-the-art Fitness Center
Enjoy your favorite beverages and appetizers, expertly created and served in our own Firefly's Patio Lounge. Or relax and enjoy an enticing menu of freshly prepared Southern-inspired selections at The Vista Grill, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Whether your next visit to Gatlinburg involves a meeting, leisure or both, our friendly staff will always welcome you to The Park Vista Doubletree with our signature, warm Doubletree chocolate chip cookie and true southern hospitality.
To see an updated list of the discounts offered to GSMA members, 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
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If you'd like to receive 1 online newsletter a month from us, click on the icon above. We never share your address with anyone and we never send any spam. Join 224,000 Fans of GSMNP on Facebook to see thousands of great photos of the critters, flowers, and landscapes. You don't have to join Facebook to view the page. Follow us on Twitter. |
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Last Chance to Climb Clingmans Dome
Big Sale Before Closing for the Winter
 View from Clingmans Dome by Richard Pounds
Come on up to Clingmans Dome Information Center from November 30-December 2 and help us celebrate another successful season in the high country.
We'll be offering free refreshments, a warm fire, and 25% discounts on all jackets and shirts! Also Videographer Gary Wilson will be showing clips from his upcoming DVD documentary on Clingmans Dome and discuss his last 12 months filming the Dome in all seasons and weather.
The Clingmans Dome Road will close the evening of Sunday, December 2, so this will be your last chance to climb the tower and take in one of the most stunning views in the world (unless of course you're up for a 15-mile roundtrip winter hike, ski, or snowshoe!).
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Prescribed Burn in Cades Cove
New Video by Valerie Polk
Photo Cades Cove Fields Afire by Valerie Polk
Selected fields in Cades Cove are burned on a three year rotation as part of a cost-effective strategy to maintain an open landscape reminiscent of the days of farming.
Click here to see Valerie Polk's new film about how the park's fire crew controls one of nature's destructive yet renewing forces and uses it to preserve the character of the most popular destination in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Smoky Mountain Explorer
New Video by Gary Wilson
Photo by Gary Wilson
Next spring, the GMSA will be launching a 40 minute documentary film based on the Spruce-fir Forests and Clingmans Dome. This will be part of our new Smoky Mountain Explorer series, where we will be documenting various segments and areas of the park in film. The film will be available at our stores in blu-ray format, and through digital downloads through iTunes.
Gary Wilson spent over 50 some days over the course of the year collecting footage for this project, and this trailer showcases some of what you will see in the film.
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Hiker Snowbound During Frankenstorm
Rescued by Helicopter
Photo from Clifftops after Frankenstorm by Sean Sparbanie
A snowbound thru-hiker was successfully rescued from one of the roughest sections of the Appalachian Trail on Friday, November 2.
Steven Ainsworth, 56, after being stranded for several days was finally able to call via cell phone to report that he was stuck in snow in a remote section of the Appalachian Trail between Pecks Corner and Tricorner Knob Shelters.
Two rangers were dispatched late Thursday, November 1, in hopes of reaching the hiker by foot. After 9 hours of hiking, the rangers had only made it 8 miles to the Pecks Corner Trails Cabin. The team was dealing with 4-5 foot snow drifts, steep terrain, and high winds.
The rangers could see that Ainsworth had been at the shelter and they tracked his footprints toward where he was camped, but they couldn't reach him.
On Friday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol Huey helicopter team was able to hoist Ainsworth to safety. He was transported to LeConte Medical Center, treated, and released.
Congratulations Search and Rescue team!
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Looking for the Perfect Stocking Stuffer?
 A gift membership in Great Smoky Mountains Association is the perfect answer... and one that won't disappear after the holidays are gone! That special person can look forward to receiving benefits throughout the upcoming year.
A discount on purchases made at our sales locations is just the beginning. They'll also receive the Smokies Guide four times a year, and the Bearpaw and Smokies Life magazine twice a year... all containing up to date information on the park, along with interesting stories of the past. And if we have that person's e-mail address they'll receive our monthly e-newsletter, the Cub Report... bringing them wonderful videos on the park, recipes, products, plus contests and monthly programs to participate in.
It's easy... and no shopping, wrapping, or mailing. Plus you'll be helping the park! Just call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or 254 for more information. Happy Holidays!
Click here for a GSMA Individual Membership
Click here for a GSMA Supporting Membership
Click here for a GSMA Lifetime Membership
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Deck the Halls
Inside LeConte Lodge in Frankenstorm by Sean Sparbanie
Two kinds of holly trees are native to the Great Smoky Mountains. American holly (Ilex opaca) is fairly common at elevations below 4,000'. Though generally considered a smaller tree, it reaches significant size in the Smokies, as much as 70 feet tall and 7 feet in circumference.
The much smaller and less common mountain holly (Ilex Americana) is found at the park's higher elevations, especially along ridgetops and in heath balds. Unlike American holly, mountain holly is deciduous, losing its leaves in fall. Both trees sport bright red berries in winter.
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Chef Heather's Snickerdoodles
Tasty Snacks for Santa
Santa's Favorite Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
2 1/2 c Foods of the Smokies Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
2 t cream of tartar
generous pinch of salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 c butter, softened
cinnamon sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients, except sugars, in a large bowl. Cream together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla with mixer on slow speed. Combine the creamed mixture with the dry ingredients in large bowl, and blend well.
With floured hands, roll dough into small balls, roughly an inch across, and dredge each in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You may press a thumbprint in the center of each ball of dough if you like, and add 1/2 t of your favorite Foods of the Smokies Preserves (Santa prefers Cherry or Pear), turning them into snickerdoodle thumbprint cookies.
Either way, bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-9 minutes, and enjoy warm. These are great for Holiday Cookie Swaps and for Christmas Eve.
Season's Greetings, from our home to yours!
Chef Heather
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Mark Your Calendar for Spring Wildflowers
Join the Pilgrimage April 24-27
As all the natural wonders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park settle in for a long Winter's repose is it really too early to think about Spring? Not at all! In fact, making plans for Spring can help get you through those Winter doldrums.
Shortly after the first of the year the Pilgrimage website is expected to go "live" with the latest information on this much anticipated event! The exact date has yet to be determined, but keep checking the website at www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org.
The majesty of our mountain Spring will be celebrated from April 24-27 with an abundance of hikes in the park and indoor programs, all presented by knowledgeable naturalists and professionals.
Opening day will offer a luncheon hosted by the Gatlinburg Garden Club. Several Cherokee programs are planned throughout that day in recognition of the 175th anniversary of the Trail of Tears. Cherokee flutist Randy McGinnis will provide the entertainment that evening.
Exhibitors and vendors offering a wide variety of arts, crafts, and plants will be on site at Mills Conference Center.
We hope you will make plans to join in this refreshing Spring event!
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Answers to Last Month's Quiz on Bats in the Smokies
1.Bats usually eat more than this percentage of their body weight in insects each night.
a. 10% b. 25% c. 40% d. 50% e. 75%
2. "Blind as a bat" is a common misconception. Bats are known to have relatively good eyesight, but most depend on this to navigate and capture insects in the dark.
a. Taste b. Touch c.Echolocation d. Smell e. Hearing
3. This is the only bat known to inhabit the park that is listed as "endangered" by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.
a. Silver-haired bat b. Indiana bat c. Eastern Pipistrelle d. Gray bat e.Little brown bat
4. Bats often live this number of years, though life spans of over 30 years have been recorded.
a. 1-2 b. 2-5 c. 5-10 d. 10-15 e. 12-20
5. This is the largest bat inhabiting the park, and the most widespread of American bats.
a. Eastern red bat b. Little brown bat c. Rafinesque's big-eared bat d. Evening bat e. Hoary bat
6. A fungus is believed to be the cause of this disease that is devastating the bat population in the eastern U.S. It was discovered in the Smokies in 2010.
a. Aspergillosis b. Ringworm c. Mycosis d. White-nose syndrome e. Epizootic ulcerative syndrome
7. Of over 1,100 species of bats worldwide how many are known to reside in the park?
a. 5 b. 11 c. 27 d. 51 e. 62
8. In a "normal" litter a female bat gives birth to how many pups?
a.1-2 b. 4 c. 5-8 d. 8-10 e. 12
9. Depending on the species, bats hibernate in which of the following locations:
a. Caves b. Hollow trees c. Mines d. Buildings e. All of the above
10.This species has one of the largest distributions of any North American bat, covering most of the contiguous 48 states, southern Canada, and into South America.
a. Evening bat b. Silver-haired bat c. Big brown bat d. Eastern red bat e. Little brown bat
11.Bats play an integral part in maintaining an ecological balance in nature. In addition to consuming untold numbers of insect pests and pollinating plants, bats provide nourishment to microorganisms and cave-dwelling life by depositing this on the floor of caves.
a.Sputum b. Guano c. Mucus d. Regurgitated pellets e. Saliva
12.During hibernation, a bat's normal metabolic activities are greatly reduced. For instance, the heart rate of a bat in flight is slowed down considerably, allowing it to survive on only a few grams of stored fat during its 5-6 month's of hibernation. The rate slows down in this way:
a. From over 100 beats a minute to 75 beats a minute b. From over 100 beats a minute to one beat a second c. From a little under 500 beats a minute to 300 beats a minute d. From over 1,000 beats a minute to only one beat every 4-5 seconds e. From over 400 beats a minute to only one beat every five minutes
Oops! The winner of the bat quiz is NOBODY. No one got all the answers correct. We are shocked.
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| 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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Photo of LeConte Lodge by