February's New Member Contest was a huge hit! Our ranks grew by 60+ members this month. The winner of the two-night mountain cabin retreat from Cindi Sharp and Almost Heaven Resort was Ray Fiser of Chattanooga. Congratulations, Ray. 

We continue our contest in March with an extra special gift to be given away to a lucky new member. May the Luck of the Irish be with those of you who would like to win a limited-edition, numbered Kepart Knife, a $420 value.  

Click HERE to learn more about the knife; click HERE to learn how you could win it.

No purchase is necessary; deadline to enter is 24 hours prior to the release of next Cub Report, which is always the last Wednesday of each month.

The event opens with a luncheon April 24, during which guest speaker Ila Hatter will explain Cherokee plant lore. The day, which has been set aside in recognition of the 175th anniversary of the Trail of Tears, will feature other indoor programs including a talk on Cherokee culture. Randy McGinnis will perform a live Native American flute program later that evening.

The "Smokies Life" reception is set for Thursday evening, while the Photography Contest Awards Ceremony are Friday night, both prior to the evening programs which are open to the public at no charge.

Artists, craftsmen, and plant vendors will be on-site for those wanting to take home a special remembrance of the event.

For more information on photography contest rules, program scheduling, and to register online, visit the website: www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org.

Spend some time on Wikipedia's page dedicated to the 1960s, and your head will start to swim. Our country experienced so many triumphs and so many tragedies. Here's a little of what was happening at GSMA headquarters during the decade:

• 1960 - It was decided that sugar cane needed for the sorghum-making demonstration should be grown onsite at Cades Cove. (Yum!)
• 1961 - The Association needed to decide what to do about its paperback books, since most libraries preferred hardbacks. (Today, the question is: "Digital?")
• 1962 - GSMA President David Condon reported his work to produce one of the first movies about the park was under way. (Seen our YouTube channel? Oh, how far we've come.)
• 1963 - A checklist of some 1,500 flowering plants, called then "the most complete of its kind now in existence," was approved for free distribution. (Thanks to the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, that list has grown to more than 17,500 known species in the park.)
• 1964 - Notes on Birds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Arthur Stupka went on sale for the first time this year.
• 1965 - After the death of the last remaining Walker Sister six months earlier, the Association purchased the furnishings in the house.
• 1966 - Muzzle-loading rifle demonstrations were added to corn grinding and sorghum making programs at Cades Cove during the summer.
• 1967 - The most sorghum molasses to date was produced, 1,017 gallons, even after 30 percent of the Cades Cove cane crop was damaged by bears and raccoons.
• 1968 - The first Association-published book on black bears was proposed at the annual board meeting this year. Today, Frequently Asked Questions about Black Bears is one of our most popular offerings, in traditional book and e-book formats.
• 1969 - Aid to the National Park Service since GSMA was started in 1953 reaches $69,000+ in 1969. Kinda' poetic, don't you agree?

Immediately after our Grammy nomination, GSMA is once again in competition mode, this time as the recipient of eight media and partnership award nominations from the Association of Partners for Public Lands.

Eight GSMA-produced materials (listed second) were selected as finalists in seven of the 12 categories (listed first):

• Educational Program/Project: Passing It On - A Digital Storytelling Project
• Electronic Media: DVD Video Sampler 
• Informational Publications: Bearpaw newsletter and Smokies Guide newspaper
• Membership/Fundraising Program: Smokies Life Magazine
• Theme: The Kephart Knife 
• Partnership Program/Project: Hike the Smokies - For Families
• Visitor Guides: Family Fun in the Smokies

An overall award for excellence will be chosen from among the first-place winners in each category. The Excellence Award winner will be announced, along with winners in each category, during a ceremony March 13 in Portland, OR.

This month we kickoff our "Pinnacle of Support" endowment growth campaign. The fund, which, when fully funded at $20 million, will allow us to allocate 100% of contributions to park-support programs and services.

Clingmans Dome Level ($5,000+)

Your Name Here

Mt. LeConte Level ($2,500-$4,999)

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Cataloochee Level ($1,000-$2,499)

Your Name Here

$500-$999 Level

Your Name Here

$100-$499 Level

Your Name Here

$50-$99 Level

Your Name Here

Pinnacle of Support members at each level will be listed monthly in our Cub Report e-newsletter, as well as twice annually in our Smokies Life Magazine and Bear Paw newsletter. Pinnacle Members will also be listed for a full year on our GSMA website. Those who join at the highest levels, from $1,000 and up, will also be listed at our Member Services kiosks in the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee gift shops during the year of their contribution.

To become a "Pinnacle of Support" Endowment Member, click HERE or call Lisa Duff at 865.436.7318, Ext. 325. Your membership is tax-deductible.

By a landslide, those who participated in our February poll indicated warblers presented the biggest challenge when it comes to identifying birds. Poll results were as follows: 

Warblers - 72%

Birds of Prey - 13%

Ducks, Water Birds - 12%

Owls - 3%