topIn This Issue
(click on title to go directly to story)
'Happy Birthday, NPS!'
GSMA Staffers (l-r) Lisa Duff, Dana Murphy, Howard Clinton, Dawn Roark and Karen Key send Centennial Best Wishes on Founders Day, Aug. 25.
 




Nigel
Welcome to the Smokies, Nigel


Album
New Old-Time
Smoky Mountain Music
Album Drop!


"This is one of the most insightful, interesting, passionate, and authentic compilations of American roots music that I've heard in a long time." -Kithfolk Magazine


If you missed our first CD launch last month, you'll have another chance to catch a full lineup of traditional, old-time and bluegrass performances during Music of the Mountains Saturday, Sept. 10, on the lawn at GSMNP Headquarters near Gatlinburg, Tenn. Watch for details about this event coming soon.






GSMA videographer Gary Wilson captured several studio recording sessions for On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-time Smoky Mountain Music. Click on the image above to watch.
GSMA videographer Gary Wilson captured several studio recording sessions for "On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-time Smoky Mountain Music." Click on the image above to watch. Be sure to turn your volume up.


Quiz


The Cherokee are an integral part of Smokies' history and culture dating back thousands of years. In recognition of our first-ever GSMA Membership Weekend venue set in Cherokee, we present the following quiz.


The first person to answer all ten questions correctly will win a copy of "Living Stories of the Cherokee." Winner of the Storytelling World and Thomas Wolfe Literary awards, his book includes 72 traditional and contemporary tales from members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.














Last month's summer wildflower quiz winner: David McLean, North Carolina
Mapper
NEW: Species Mapper


GSMNP Species Mapper


Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Inventory and Monitoring Branch has partnered with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Arts at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to create a new web application called Species Mapper. Everyone from park managers to school groups to visitors can use Species Mapper to explore suitable habitats for some 1,800 plant and animal species. The application can be found HERE.



Species Mapper uses locations where species (some sensitive species are not listed for their protection) have been found to help predict additional places where they may occur in the park. These predictions, or models, are based on observations made during ongoing resource monitoring as well as during research studies conducted by scientists from all over the world. The result of the model is a reliable distribution of where each species lives in the park. 

StreamsStreams & Waterfalls
of the Smokies






"Land of Falling Water: Streams and Waterfalls of the Smokies," GSMA's next Smoky Mountain Explorer film by Gary Wilson, is due to land on stores shelves this fall. In this video clip, Gary introduces us to darters, the small, wonderfully colored, bottom-dwelling fish that look more suited to live in a coral reef or tropical aquarium than the cold, fast-flowing streams of the Smokies. Several darter species live in the park, making them indicative of the Smokies' excellent water quality due to protection from anthropogenic expansion.
Weekend


The deadline to register for this year's annual Membership Weekend in Cherokee, N.C., is Sept. 2. Don't delay - reserve your spot today!
mountain farm museum valerie polk
On Thursday, Sept. 15, those planning to arrive early for this year's Members Weekend are invited to spend part of the day volunteering at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconlauftee Visitor Center.


"With our weekend headquarters in Cherokee this year, we've partnered with the Cherokee Indian Museum to provide the bulk of our Saturday activities," said Marketing and Membership Director Lisa Duff. Program offerings will include traditional Native American dance, pottery making, storytelling, medicinal plants, and more. From this year's vantage point, we're also excited to include the annual Mountain Life Festival at Oconaluftee Visitor Center as an on-your-own activity."


GSMA's Marketing and Membership Team (from left) Lisa Duff, Judy Collins, Dana Murphy and Marti Smith take advantage of a beautiful day in the Smokies to do some last-minute Membership Weekend event planning out of doors. Take our word for it, ladies, you'll want to get one of these super-soft, V-neck tees with our GRITS tree in white on a sky-blue background. These t-shirts are exclusively designed for our members. Get yours at any of our store locations and online HERE. ~ GSMA Photo by Joey Heath
possumRecommended September Hike:
Take a trip to Possum Hollow




By Marti Smith
Marketing and Membership Associate
GSMNP 900 Mile Club Member


This adventure starts out on water! That's right -- Contact GSMA Business Member Fontana Marina to make reservations for the six-mile/20-minute boat ride to the Proctor area of the Lakeshore Trail. Your ride will take you across Fontana Lake, which is surrounded by the Smokies to the north and Nantahala National Forest to the south. And don't forget to make arrangements for a pick up at Eagle Creek at the terminus of the hike...


DigitalNPS Centennial: Digital Look Back


George Alexander Grant (1929-1954) was the first chief photographer for the National Park Service. He began work in 1929 under Horace Albright, the second NPS director, who hired him to create a documentary file of images for use in reports, interpretive projects, education, and public information. Considered an eminent photographer, many of Grant's photographs were published without his name, instead, being credited as an "NPS photo." Before his retirement in 1954, Grant created approximately 30,000-40,000 images for NPS. No doubt this photo was part of a larger photo shoot with multiple photographers on the peak.


The National Park Service's Centennial will continue to be celebrated through the remainder of this year, and we'll continue to reap the benefits of "America's Best Idea." As part of this nationwide centennial, Western Carolina University's Hunter Library in Cullowhee, N.C., has launched "Great Smoky Mountains: A Park for America," a digital archive focused on the national park movement and early history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.


Over the past four years, library staff worked with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and North Carolina's Western Regional archives to select material to scan, describe, and upload onto the web for easy access. The collection is vast with almost 10,000 pages and images accessible online. These include photographs, historic documents, government reports, maps, surveys of land, letters, journals, booklets, artifacts, and administrative records.


Mystery2012Smoky Mountain Mystery:
2002 - The Year No One Died


There is an old joke among history buffs involving realistic-looking plaques or historical markers that read, "On this site in 1884, nothing happened." A similar joke could be made by park safety officers and law enforcement statisticians about Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2002. It would read, "In this national park in 2002, nobody died..."
Mill




Think your last craft project was involved? Park visitor Bill McComb handcrafted a 1/15 scale model of the Cades Cove Cable Mill, and it works! After visiting a home and garden show near his hometown of Davidson, N.C., the idea hit him - Design and build a custom water feature paying tribute to the Smokies!


"The Park Service was a tremendous help," McComb said about the design research. "I originally contacted (GSMA Executive Director) Laurel Rematore in April, and she gave me Librarian-Archivist Michael Aday's name. Michael went above and beyond in assisting me with obtaining drawings done by the University of Tennessee. Without the drawings Michael supplied, much of my drawings and scale would have been guesswork from Google images."


McComb's Cable Mill includes a hinged mill door, two hinged windows, and an operational sluice gate. He designed the roof to be removable for maintenance. The waterwheel is driven by a 6 RPM belt-driven gear motor. The water for the wheel is recirculated by a 300 GPH submersible pump. The stone foundation was made by applying individual river stone embedded in epoxy at the base of the mill. The mill was installed with a landscape design realistic to actual site details, including split rail fence and bench, stone, and trees.


I know what you're thinking - "How can I get one?" Unless you can talk Bill into building more, this one will likely remain a one-of-a-kind treasure.
Hike100


GSMA Photo by Marti Smith


One thing's for sure - Our Hike 100 Challenge participants have experienced all types of weather in the park this year. For August, it was RAIN! But not nearly enough to dampen spirits. What will October's hike bring - in addition to beautiful fall colors - I mean? Sign up and find out.
Partner


It's getting near time to celebrate Tremont Institute and its environmental programs that have taught and inspired thousands of children and adults since 1969. Proceeds from this annual Homecoming event help fund programs and reach more people in the coming year.
 READ MORE>>
_________________


Shop
Shop the Smokies:


NEW - The 2017 Great Smoky Mountains National Park wall calendar is one of our most gorgeous ever. You (and everyone who receives this special gift from YOU) will enjoy images of snowy mountains, sparkling streams, wildflowers, fall colors, and more. Published by GSMA, which means all purchases benefit the park!




GSMA's own Dennis Houk is sure to turn heads now that our new "Range of Life" license plate adorns the front of his car. Our new plate features a photograph by Itai Minovitz illustrating the majesty of the Smokies. The metal, full-color plate is designed for the front of your car (in states with no front license), where it will remain beautiful for years to come.


Image size increased to illustrate detail. 


NEW -- Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Get your official GSMNP limited-edition coffee mug before it's too late. Each year we work with the talented craftspeople at Deneen Pottery in St. Paul, MN, to create a one-of-a-kind image exclusive for the Smokies. This year they've given us a scene reminiscent of swirling fall leaves in a palette of light cream and rich chocolate. Fewer than 1,000 mugs were fired for this season, so don't delay. Order yours today!




Kim'Bear in the Back Seat' author
Kim Delozier visits Bryson City


GSMA Photo by Kim Van Winkle



A big "THANK YOU" to retired NPS ranger and author Kim Delozier for taking time last month to speak with his "Bear in the Back Seat I & II" fans. Extending a personal "thank you" for Kim's appearance at the Swain County Visitor Center in downtown Bryson City, N.C., is one of Kim's newest fans -- GSMA Executive Director Laurel Rematore.


DuffStaff Spotlight: Lisa Duff


In case any trivia has been planned for this month's annual Great Smoky Mountains Association Membership Weekend, here are a few things to know about Marketing and Membership Director Lisa Duff.


Q: Where do you hail from, Lisa?
A: Life started for me midway down Florida's Gulf Coast. My dad's Civil War hobby meant our family summer vacations involved visiting battlefields all over the South. We could reach the Smokies in a day's drive, so we often spent time here before traveling into Virginia and Pennsylvania to places like Appomattox Courthouse and Gettysburg... 


count
Monthly Visitation Count


Wondering if this park is on target to beat last year's record 10.7 million visitors? Each month in this location we'll keep track by updating the park's visitation count according to the National Park Service's Recreation Visitors Report.  


January379,730

February353,532

March778,211

April859,420

May1,018,224
June1,364,138

July1,464,456

Year-to-Date Total: 6,217,711*
*Number subject to change following verification 
Businesses
Business of the Month
TC Environmental


TC Environmental
Tri County Environmental serves Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, Monroe and Sevier counties in Tennessee with matchless waste service. They rent and service attractive, dark green portable restrooms for construction sites and special events, as well as hand sinks and holding tanks. When a portable toilet isn't appropriate, their executive restroom trailer with heat and air conditioning, vanity sinks and regular toilets will provide your users with comfort and privacy. Their roll-off container and garbage service will complete any other waste removal needed. They can even pump your camper! Their next day service is unsurpassed and their caring, friendly staff will be glad to assist and advise you.


NEW Business Members
Hilton Garden Inn
Downtown Gatlinburg
GSMA members receive a $10 nightly discount, some exclusions apply


Outdoor Gravity Park
Pigeon Forge, TN
GSMA members receive a $12.95 per person discount 




Guide
The Smokies are just a click away...

Got questions? We have answers.





Great Smoky Mountains Association | P.O. Box 130 | Gatlinburg | TN | 37738