Schedule for Day 4 of Wilderness Wildlife Week 2015 in Pigeon Forge Tennessee Smokies

As day 4 of Wilderness WIldlife Week kicks off in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee the Parkway is slick with just a light dusting of snow, however major Great Smoky Mountains national park roads such as Newfound Gap, Cherokee Orchard and Laurel Creek to Cades Cove are all closed due to ice and snow so the best place to be is nice and warm in the LeConte Center on Teaster Lane in Pigeon Forge.

Stay warm and dry today and enjoy some great programs for free such as music by Boogertown Gap, exploring the Wild World of Animals by Knoxville Zoomobile and being a Junior Bear Curator for Appalachian Bear Rescue. Great learning, great fun, and it is all free!

Don't forget to take a stroll through the exhibition hall and say hi to our friends from Friends of the Smokies!

Some of today’s guided hikes and tours may not take place due to the weather.

Tues, January 27 2015 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule

• 9 to 10am: Green Power Providers. Presented by Lucas Harkleroad. Join Lucas as he discusses producing electricity with renewables, energy efficiency and grid tie systems. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 9 to 10am: Restoring Tennessee’s Nesting Osprey Slide Presentation. Presented by Ken Dubke. Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 9:30 to 10:30am: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Rocks and Stones: Actual and Art. Presented by Pat Thomas. Join Pat as she compares rock formations to the art of watercolor marbling stone patterns as art reflects life. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 9:30 to 10:30am: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Medicinal Gardening Good for You and the Earth! A Discussion of Medicinal Herbs, Both Cultivated and Native, as Well as Their Uses. Presented by Dana Ripper Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 9:30 to 10:30am: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Who’s Nesting in Your Nestbox? Presented by Regina Garr. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 9:30 to 10:30am: Bringing Sustainable Development to Badly Developed Kenya. Presented by Don Richards. Join Don as he describes how environmental degradation on the shores of and in Lake Victoria in Western Kenya has happened, as well as the effects on the people and remedies. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 9:30 to 10:30am: LIMITED SPACE! The Art of Dowsing. Presented by Charlie Monday. Limited to 30 participants who will join Charlie to see if they have the gift of dowsing. Taking place in the Bob Kolb Memorial Room.
   
• 9:30 to 11am: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! Potholder Loom Weaving. Presented by Sherry Mummert. Limit 10, ages 10+. Participants will join Sherry as she teaches them by using cotton loopers, a square potholder will be woven on a small loom. Taking place in the Bob Hatcher Memorial Room.
   
• 10 to 11am: HERITAGE! Meet Mr. Herbert Clabo. Presented by Herbert Clabo with Veta King, Pigeon Forge Public Library, interviewer Join Mr. Clabo as he shares stories of living more than 100 years in the Great Smoky Mountains and Roaring Fork. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 10 to 1pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! Studio Lighting Workshop for Photographers of All Experience Levels. Presented by Douglas Hubbard. Limited to 20 people ages 16+. Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 10:30 to 11:30am: Awesome ’Possum: The Natural History of the Opossum. Presented by Lynne McCoy. Join Lynne as she discusses the history of the opossum and shares a special DVD. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 10:50 to 11:50am: Energy, Effort and Passion: Volunteering in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by Christine Hoyer (a YourSmokies favorite!). Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 11 – Noon: Keeping Your Forest Healthy. Presented by Glenn Taylor. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 11 – Noon: Arches Along the Way: Arches and Natural Bridges Along Tennessee’s Trails. Presented by Keith Garnes. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 11 – Noon: KIDS’ TRACK! Wild World of Animals. Presented by Knoxville Zoomobile. Live animal show! Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 11:30 to 12:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! HERITAGE! Vintage Postcards of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by Adam Alfrey. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 11:30 to 12:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! Painting Violets on a Sweatshirt or T-Shirt. Presented by Lois Armstrong. Limited to 10 people each of whom must bring own white t-shirt or sweatshirt. Taking place in the Bob Hatcher Memorial Room.
   
• Noon to 1pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Homeowners’ Guide for Preventing and Controlling Invasive Plants. Presented by Leon Bates. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 12:15 to 1:15pm: Identifying Local Birds of Prey. Presented by Stephen Lyn Bales. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 12:30 to 1:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! From Rugs to Hugs: My Adventures with Bears. Presented by David Whitehead. Join David as he recounts his adventures with bears from an early age to more than 30 years as a wildlife biologist in Tennessee. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 1 to 2pm: Waterfalls of Tennessee Slide Presentation. Presented by Bill Carter. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 1 to 2pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! HERITAGE! Over in the Holler. Presented by Ruth Carr Miller. Join Ruth as she shares short stories of mountaineers who lived between the hills and hollers of these Great Smoky Mountains. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 1 to 2pm: LIMITED SPACE! The Art of Dowsing. Presented by Charlie Monday. Limit to 30 participants who will join Charlie to see if they have the gift of dowsing. Taking place in the Bob Kolb Memorial Room.
   
• 1 to 2pm: Reverend Dr. John Burnett, Founder of Pittman Community Monologue. Presented by Will Rabert. Join Will as he portrays Reverend Dr. John Burnett, the founder of Pittman Center school, clinic and churches in the mountains. Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 1 to 3pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! Carving and Painting an Owl, Part One. Presented by Don Taylor. Limit to 10 people, two day session. Participants must bring own sharp carving tools and paint brushes. Taking place in the Bob Hatcher Memorial Room.
   
• 1:30 to 2:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Managing Tennessee’s Wildlife: Successes and Failures. Presented by Daryl Ratajczak. Join Daryl as he discusses how managing Tennessee’s wildlife is an ongoing struggle full or ups and downs. Hear about TWRA’s greatest successes and hardest struggles past and present. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 1:45 to 2:45pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Historic Rugby, Tennessee: Where Nature and History Collide. Presented by Michael Harris. Join Michael as he discusses the history and preservation of this restored Victorian village that was founded in 1880 by British author and social reformer, Thomas Hughes. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 2 to 3pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! For Love of the Smokies: Hiking the Trails of GSMNP. Presented by J.L. Stepp. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 2 to 3pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! In Presence of the Elders. Presented by Donald Wells. Join Donald as he discusses what can be learned from tribal elders he has interviewed and filmed regarding their loss of culture, as well as about their spirituality and wisdom. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 2 to 3pm: HERITAGE! Music and Songs of the Smokies. Presented by Tony Thomas. Taking place in the LeConte Hall South.
   
• 2 to 4pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! Make an Appalachian Mountain Corn Shuck Doll. Presented by Anne Freels. Limited to 8 people. Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 2:30 to 3:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Bays Mountain: A Walk in the Park. Presented by Rhonda Goins. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 2:30 to 4pm: LIMITED SPACE! Intermediate and Advanced Hammer Dulcimer. Presented by Tim Sime. Limit to 20 people participants who must bring own instruments. Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 3 to 4pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! HERITAGE! Early Pigeon Forge: The Start of Something BIG video presentation! Presented by Veta King, Pigeon Forge Public Library. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 3 to 4pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Winter: A Time of Nature Observation. Presented by Joel Zachry. Join Joel as he provides entertaining narration in nature’s winter treasures, including landscapes, plants and animal signs. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 3:15 to 4:45pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Who, What and Where of the Matter. Presented by Kathy Gwinn. Join Kathy as she tells attendees stories behind some of the most loved and remembered people, places and events in our country. As listeners, you get to answer the who, what and where of each story. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 3:30 to 4pm: LIMITED SPACE! Beginning Clogging Lessons. Presented by J.K. and Doris Patton. Limited to 20 people. Taking place in the LeConte Hall South.
   
• 3:30 to 4:30pm: Survival Lessons Learned in an Aircraft Accident. Presented by Joe Taft. Join Joe as he relates practical survival lessons appropriate for any situation he learned in a multi-engine A.F. aircraft accident in the Atlantic Ocean. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 3:30 to 4:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! LIMITED SPACE! The Uses of Essential Oils in Household Products. Presented by Alison Houston. Limited to 10 people ages 16+ will learn to make a household cleaner to take home with them. Taking place in the Bob Hatcher Memorial Room.
   
• 3:30 to 5pm: Civil War in the West, 1864-1865. Presented by Jack Carman. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 4 to 5pm: Civil War Medical: Medicine of 1860s. Presented by Bill Walker. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 4:15 to 4:45pm: LIMITED SPACE! Beginning Clogging Lessons. Presented by J.K. and Doris Patton. Limited to 20 people. Taking place in the LeConte Hall South.
   
• 4:30 to 5:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Great Smoky Mountains History You May Not Know. Presented by Joe Kelley. Join retired NPS Ranger Joe Kelley as he shares little-known facts about events, plans and occurrences in the Smokies. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 2.
   
• 4:30 to 5:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Beauty and the Beast: A Photographic Introduction to Hillwalking in Scotland. Presented by Andy Drinnon. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 4:30 to 5:30pm: KIDS’ TRACK! LIMITED SPACE! Animal Olympics. Presented by Mike Meldrum. Limited to 30 Participants who will join Mike as they compete in a program that tests animals abilities with humans. Taking place in the Bob Kolb Memorial Room.
   
• 4:45 to 5:45pm: KIDS’ TRACK! LIMITED SPACE! Be a Junior Bear Curator for Appalachian Bear Rescue. Presented by Kathy Sherrard and ABR’s K-8 Education Team. Limited to 20 Kids ages 5 to 12. A YourSmokies Favorite! Taking place in the South Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 5 to 6pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Down the Grand Canyon on a Raft: The Ultimate Camping Trip Video Presentation. Presented by Mark Evans. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 5 to 6:30pm: HERITAGE! Smoky Mountain Inhabitants and Their Music. Presented by Boogertown Gap (a YourSMokies favorite!) Taking place in the LeConte Hall South.
   
• 5:15 to 6:45pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The History of Greenbrier: People, Homesites and the Establishment of GSMNP. Presented by Mike Maples. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall C.
   
• 5:30 to 6:30pm: Bears, Boars and Bulls: A Wild Life with the Smokies Critters! Presented by retired park ranger Kim Delozier. Join Kim as he shares stories (some funny, others exciting and a couple scary ones, too) of managing wildlife of the Smokies over a 32-year career as a wildlife biologist. A YourSmokies Favorite. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 3.
   
• 5:45 to 6:45pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Winter Birds and Wintering Waterfowl of East Tennessee. Presented by Randy Hedgepath. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   
• 6pm: Thursday Hikes and Field Trips Sign-ups in Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall A.
   
• 6:30 to 7:30pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Dragonflies of Tennessee. Presented by Marty Silver. Join Marty as he discusses all things dragonfly and damselfly related. This session discusses how dragonflies are indicators of the health of our nearby environments and will provide participants information on how to observe, photograph and identify these amazing insects. Also, learn how you can be involved in their protection. Taking place in the Greenbrier Hall B.
   
• 7pm: NEW Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! HERITAGE! Store Britches: A Play Celebrating Our Appalachian Heritage: Directed by Sabrina Gray. This special historical comedy was written by Gatlinburg’s own Lula Mae Ogle and was performed for the first time in 1936. For three seasons in the 1930’s, Store Britches was utilized as a special fundraiser for the Gatlinburg Weaver’s Club. Some 80 years later, the play has been rediscovered and is produced by the Gatlinburg Garden Club as a fundraiser for the Lucinda Oakley Ogle cabin. Taking place in the LeConte Hall South.
   
• 7:30pm: Slow Jam. Presented by Tony Thomas and Friends. Taking place in the North Multi-Purpose Room 1.
   

Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs more volunteers for the Elk Bugle Corp Program.

If you love the Great Smoky Mountains national park, wild animals, history and working with people this an opportunity you just can't pass up.

You will only be paid in sunsets, sunrises and lots of smiles in the beautiful Cataloochee valley teaching people about and help protect our valuable herd of North American Elk in the Smokies.

If you become a volunteer Elk Bugle Corp member, you will have the opportunity to work alongside more than 80 other volunteers who work in the valley who also love nature and the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

To be an Elk Bugle Corp Volunteer you must be able to work at least 2 scheduled 4-hour shifts a month from May until November and you should enjoy working around people.

Your job will be to promote safe and ethical wild life viewing, educate park visitors about the elk restoration program in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and their behavior, and help with traffic management in the busy seasons especially in the rut season from late September through November.

You should also enjoy being outdoors and various weather conditions and have patience when dealing with the public. The rewards are tremendous when you are a volunteer Elk Bugle Corp member knowing that you are helping educate people about the park, its inhabitants, its colorful history and protecting the park.

Just the simple act of a park volunteer securing garbage pail lids and keeping bear out of the trash containers and getting acclimated to human food, protect our beloved black bear and park visitors from having too close and encounter with a black bear.

The park will train all volunteers with a full day of training that you must attend on either the last week in April or the first week in May.

If you are interested in joining the ranks of the Elk Bugle Corp in the Great Smoky Mountains national park RSVP to Ranger Mark LaShell at mark_lashell@nps.gov (E-mail is preferred) or call (828)269-3161. Once signed up you can attend one of 2 informational meetings and new volunteer orientation sessions that will take place in the Cataloochee Valley at the ranger station on April 15 and 17, from 1 pm to 5 pm.

If you would like to help the Elk Bugle Corp Volunteer program and cannot join the program, you can contribute to the programs enormous success by supporting the Elk Bugle Corp program with a financial contribution of any size to the Bull Elk 21 Memorial Fund set through Friends of the Smokies.

Last year members of the Elk Bugle Corp who had contact with more than 85,000 visitors volunteered more than 7,000 hours. Won't you come join us and support us?

Memorial Fund Set Up For Slain Bull Elk #21 to Support the Elk Bugle Corps Volunteer Program

Last week's tragic poaching of the Great Smoky Mountains national parks Bull Elk #21 in the Cataloochee Valley outraged many people. Nature lovers, photographers and responsible hunters come from far and wide to enjoy the elk and the natural beauty of Cataloochee Valley.

The National Park has recognized how instrumental the all volunteer Elk Bugle Corp is in protecting our Elk, educating visitors about the elk and responsible wildlife viewing.

The Friends of the Smokies - a nonprofit fund-raising organization which raises funds for projects such as the Elk Restoration Program in the Great Smoky Mountains national park has set up a memorial fund for bull Elk #21 to fund the Cataloochee Valley Elk Bugle Corps and Your Smokies has just made the first donation to get this fund started.

While I would love to see other large donations to this very good cause, the Elk Bugle Corp would be glad to receive donations of any size made to the memory of Bull Elk #21. Donations will fund the Elk Bugle Corps most pressing needs and every little bit helps so please give what you can to the Bull Elk #21 Memorial Fund.

To Donate Click Here

Default Donation is $10 but you can increase or decrease the amount

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowable by law.

Every dollar collected helps protect the parks precious resources and allows Elk Bugle Corp members to show you the beauty and share the historic significance of the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Related Elk in the GSMNP Stories

• Alleged Poacher of Bull Elk 21 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park charged, but is it enough?
• Memorial Fund For Slain Bull Elk #21 to Support the Elk Bugle Corps Volunteer Program
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Elk Poaching Suspect Confesses and Arrest will be made
• Elk poaching takes place in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.
• Elk Reintroduction in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs more Volunteers for Elk Bugle Corp Program

Great Smoky Mountain National Parks 75th Anniversary Celebration Continues with Oconaluftee Visitor Center Ground Breaking.

Tomorrow will be the Great Smoky Mountains national parks actual 75th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than to have the public be able to join in with a celebration at the Oconaluftee visitor center and Farm Museum? From 10 am to 2 pm there will be demonstrations, music, storytelling, dancing and a ground breaking on the new state of the art visitor center.

Long overdue, the new energy efficient visitor center will be more than 6 times larger that the present visitor center built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was originally used as a ranger center. The new visitor center will have a museum with displays of the history and traditions of the Cherokee people, Southern Appalachian culture, the and the Park's establishment and development.

Around 2,000,000 people a year pass by Oconaluftee to get into the Great Smoky Mountains national park with nearly 350,000 visitors presently entering the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Farm Museum area. The original building will be kept when the new visitor center is complete.

Besides the entertainment, the Park has extended a special invitation to all former CCC members who served at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to attend the groundbreaking and some are expecting some to attend.

Dale Ditmanson the parks superintendent commented "We are excited about the opportunity to hold the visitor center groundbreaking during our anniversary year and are especially honored to have several CCC men who assisted with the construction of the existing visitor center over 65 years ago. This project will represent a symbolic bridge between the past and the future of the national park".

The ground breaking ceremony hosted by Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson will also include Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks, and Cherokee Elder Jerry Wolfe giving the "Blessing of the Ground".

The schedule for the 75th anniversary celebration at Oconaluftee 2 miles north of the Cherokee North Carolina Parks Entrance is also follows:

• 10 am - Music performed by Boogertown Gap
• 11 am - Warriors of AniKituhwa: Official Cherokee cultural ambassadors performing traditional dances including the War Dance and Eagle Tail Dance
• 11:30 am - Storytelling by Charles Maynard
• 12 pm - Groundbreaking Ceremony
• 1 pm - Music played by Earl and the Boys

Thanks to 2 fantastic organizations: the Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association the buildings and exhibits have been funded.

Both Friends and the GSMAs work and the funding make this and many projects possible within the Great Smoky Mountains national park and it is impossible for me to accurately state how much they mean to the park, the surrounding communities and me personally.

I am very grateful that Oconaluftee will finally be honoring in a significant way the Cherokee and Native Americans who have inhabited the area for more than 10,000 years.

New Oconaluftee Visitor Center in GSMNP will have No Significant Environmental Impact

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reported that the Environmental Assessment of the potential impacts of constructing the planned new Oconaluftee Visitor Center and has been able to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

The proposed new visitor center by the Cherokee North Carolina entrance will replace the functions of the existing 1,110 square foot built in the 1930s that is serious undersized, inefficient and is not handicapped accessible.

The new 6,000-7,000-square-foot Oconaluftee visitor center facility that is planed will be far more environmentally friendly, more comprehensive in displayed materials and hopefully as handicapped accessible as the new facility on the Blue Ridge Parkway and not as deficient as the Twin Creek Science Center recently built in the Roaring Fork area off Cherokee Orchard Road.

The proposed new Oconaluftee Visitor center in the GSMNP will also have an information kiosk, a new parking area to replace the seriously under sized parking facility and the current traffic pattern will have a much smoother safer merging design bring traffic onto Newfound Gap Road (US 441).

I am also thrilled to report that the new Oconaluftee Visitor center will have a far more expansive cultural history display area including information on the Native Americans who inhabited the area prior to the parks formation. Right the park service has virtually no Native America Displays or interpretive information other than a few small signs along the Oconaluftee River Hiking Trail.

Surprisingly federal funding will not be needed to build or equip this new visitor center as 2 organizations which we strongly support will be providing the funding.

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has committed to providing $2.5 million for the visitor centers construction and the Friends of the Smokies are providing the $500,000 needed to design and create all the exhibits.

The new visitor center will be certified as an environmentally friendly building under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.

Proposed environmental feature the national park service is looking into include: passive solar, a rain water cistern collecting water to flush toilets, water saving fixtures including waterless urinals and water saving water faucets and toilets, and native plants in the landscaping that require minimal water.

The roofing materials, cabinets, siding, and structural supports of the new building will all be made of recycled materials.

Dolly Parton is the Great Smoky Mountains national parks 75th Anniversary Ambassador

The Great Smoky Mountains national park could not have picked a better ambassador for their 75th anniversary than local celebrity and philanthropist Sevierville Tennessee's own Dolly Parton.

Most anyone who thinks about the Smoky Mountains thinks about Dolly Parton as the face of the Smokies and as the official Park's 75th Anniversary Ambassador, Dolly's name and her image will be used at a variety of GSM National Park events, activities and on informational media.

According to Dolly Parton "The Smokies are part of my DNA...I have always been an Ambassador, but I am particularly honored to become "official" for this special 75th Anniversary."

Getting Dolly Parton to be the Ambassador was an obvious choice and the announcement of Dolly Parton being the ambassador for the Great Smoky Mountains national park was made by the superintendent Dale Ditmanson who stated "When we first sat down with our park partners and began brainstorming about how the Park's anniversary could best gain national stature we asked ourselves: ’If we could pick one person who is the most recognized and personifies the love of the Smokies, who would it be?’ The answer was a resounding ’Dolly Parton!’ But she's so much in demand; do you think she'll do it?"

In order to get Dolly Parton on board the Dollywood Foundation was contacted by Friends of the Smokies and the rest is history.

If Dolly's participation was not enough, Dolly Parton has graciously written an entire album entitled "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" and the rights of this album are being donated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through the Friends of the Smokies during the 75th anniversary year. Bravo!

"Sha-Kon-O-Hey" is the phonetic spelling for the Cherokee word, "Shaconage" which is how the Cherokee described the Great Smoky Mountains translated as "Land of the Blue Smoke". Shaconage is also the name of the Friends of the Smokies publication.

Another great organization which Your Smokies supports which helps the park: The Great Smoky Mountains Association will be offering a 125 page souvenir 75th Anniversary edition of Smokies Life magazine will find a personal message from Dolly Parton that reads "The Smoky Mountains have inspired me and my music since I was a little girl. They touch my soul and lift my spirits. Let's celebrate America's most popular national park, but most especially, join me in making sure its magnificent beauty thrives for generations to come."

Bravo on the choice Dale, bravo on bringing it together Friends of the Smokies, and Dolly - no one will ever be more Sweetheart of the Smokies than you are!

Don’t miss Ranger Guided Hike: Little Cataloochee area Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Ok I am admit I am a sucker for hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains national park of all of the guided hikes I had taken this historical hike through Little Cataloochee with National park Ranger Brad Free is tops and a do not miss Smokies experience.

Little Cataloochee and Big Cataloochee were both thriving communities when the park came into existence. Ranger Brad Free will take you on a moderate 5 mile hike with some small steep sections where you will step back in time with the help of a fantastic narrative and historical photographs along with some Smoky Mountains magic.

The hike will start along the old North Carolina Turnpike with a history lesson on this road onto a gravel trail where you will have the opportunity to experience the history of the park at the Hannah Cabin and the Little Cataloochee Baptist Church and cemetery (pictured below). You will walk by and see the site of other historical building and farms and where on of the mills was located where you can see historical artifacts and evidence of the Little Cataloochee Community.

The hike will then continue where you will stop where you can enjoy your lunch or snack that you have brought along at one of the most inspiring parts of the Great Smoky Mountains national park: the beautiful Dan and Rachel Cook Cabin on Coggins Branch.

The Dan and Rachel Cook Cabin pictured below was destroyed by vandals with a chainsaw. The loss of this beautiful structure was devastating but thanks to the help of the Friends of the Smokies, this outstanding example of Smoky Mountains architecture was restored to its original beauty. This is just one of many examples of why we should all support this incredible organization.

Cataloochee valley is right next to Maggie Valley and road to take you to the valley is near the intersection of 276 and I40. Meet just before 10 am at the first parking lot when you pull into the GSMNP Cataloochee Valley where you will see a bulletin board and literature. The hike starts at 10 am and the return time is approximately 3 pm but you can stay longer if you wish.

It can be very cool in the Cataloochee Valley in the mornings so dress warm in layers and pack a picnic lunch or snack along with any water you may need. While the trail is not particularly steep or rocky it is best to wear hiking shoes or at the least sneakers.

Not only will you be able to experience the best guided hike that Great Smoky Mountains national park has to offer with an excellent veteran Ranger, the elk are in rut right now so you should stick around until sunset to listen to and watch them.

2 more days left on Great Smoky Mountains national park Rainbow Trout fish out.

Today and tomorrow are the last 2 days you can catch and keep as many Rainbow Trout no matter the size in the Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

In order for the national park service along with the help of funding by Friends of the Smokies to restore the native Brook Trout species back into the Tremont Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Rainbow Trout must be removed. What Rainbow Trout that don't get removed will be poisoned in September.

The first day of the fish out anglers brought home more than 110 fish. As of last count mid afternoon yesterday, less than 460 fish in total have been caught during the whole fish out. This number could have been considerably higher if more fisherman showed up to take advantage of the fish out rather than fishing in other sections of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Here are the complete details for the Great Smoky Mountains national park Rainbow Trout removal in Tremont.

8k (5 miles) Run for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Help the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by participating in a 8K Run for the Park on Saturday May 5, 2007 which starts and ends at Tanger Five Oaks in Sevierville Tennessee.

Registration for this exciting event is only $12 before May 2, 2007 and $15 after May 2nd and all proceeds benefit Friends of the Smokies who help raise funds and provide volunteers for the Smoky Mountains national park.

Whether you come to help out the park, get some exercise and fresh air or have your eye on one of the Trophies, free tee shirts or door prizes you are sure to have a good time.

Trophies will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in:

• Overall male and female
• Sevier County male and female
• Grand Masters (50+) male and female
• All age categories male and female

The race will be run rain or shine on a level course - the Parkway to Tanger outlet mall in Pigeon Forge, and then ends back at Tanger Five Oaks. Traffic will be held back by both the Pigeon Forge and Sevierville police

Register early to make sure you get your size Tee Shirt and help the Fiends of the Smokies get a fairly accurate count of who is going to show. The registration for can be downloaded at www.yoursmokies.com/docs/raceform2007.pdf.

If you can’t or don’t want to run, come down and cheer us on!

Wall of thanks and public awareness to be unveiled at the Smoky Mountains National Park.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Rotary Club of Knoxville, a special exhibit honoring individuals and businesses that have donated gifts valued between $10,000 and $50,000 to the national park through Friends of the Smokies as well as park education and awareness was unveiled today at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Plaza of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg Tennessee.

This permanent display is at of the Smoky Mountains parks busiest entrances and the visitor center presently see more than 800,000 visitors a years who will be able to enjoy this illustrate exhibit which is comprised of three panels which measure 7 feet by 14 feet.

The weather for today's unveiling in the park couldn't have been nicer and gave many who took time off today to come to the celebration to spend some quality time in the park today.

While it is wonderful to see you name on a wall, we want all donors of any size who help the Friends of the Smokies to understand we appreciate all donations to help this worth cause.

A Smoky Mountain Riddle about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

What do Restaurants in the Smoky Mountains, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Carolina and Tennessee department of motor vehicles, and the Friends of the Smokies organization all have in common? Biodiesel.

Thanks to the generous support of drivers of NC and TN who were kind enough to purchase the beautiful Friends of the Smokies specialty license plates as well as a Clean Fuel Advanced Technology grant The Smoky Mountains National Park will soon be able to fuel their diesel fleet of almost 2 dozen vehicles on the North Carolina side with a biodiesel blended fuel.

Biodiesel is a cleaner burning alternative to petroleum diesel and is produced domestically from renewable sources such as used cooking oils, soybeans, corn and various other organic oil sources. Since it is produced domestically, it reduces our dependence on foreign petroleum and production of biodiesel creates virtually no polluting byproducts.

Biodiesel in its purest form is from 100% "organic" sources but is often blended with petroleum diesel. The National Park service will be using B-50 which means it is a 50 - 50 mixture. Regardless of the blend as long as the "bio" part f the blend is clean and pure, diesel engines usually don't require any modifications. While 100% bio is preferred this is a huge step in the right direction.

According to Dale Ditmanson the Park Superintendent "This biodiesel refueling project will help us achieve our long-term goal of stabilizing or improving air quality in the park...We also see it as a great opportunity to lead by example as we host local school groups and millions of visitors from all across the country and world."

Just having the Great Smoky Mountains National Park committed to using Biodiesel is not enough. Two distribution centers are going to be set up on the North Carolina side of the national park. The first larger Biodiesel station will be a 4,000-gallon tank at the Oconaluftee Maintenance Yard in Swain County, and the second smaller 1,000 gallon tank will be located to fill park vehicles in Cataloochee Valley. Combined these distribution points will dispense and estimated 12,000 gallons a year reducing the national parks annual consumption of petroleum diesel by 6,000 gallons a year.

In order the finance this incredible project, the Friends of the Smokies is donating more than $8,000 which was raised from the sales of specialty license plates in NC and TN. $20 of the $30 charged for these special plates ends up with Friends of the Smokies.

The Friends of the Smokies also secured grant that exceeded $33,000 from the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project, which is managed in North Carolina by the North Carolina Solar Center and NC State University. Help from the project was also received from the NC Department of Transportation, the State Energy Office of the NC Department of Administration, and the NC Division of Air Quality.

If you don't have a Friends of the Smokies license plate to help support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park order your Friends of the Smokies plate on your next Tennessee or North Carolina license plate on your next renewal!

The Smoky Mountains National Park grows in popularity but is that a good thing?

The figures are in. America's most popular national park the Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to grow in popularity with 9,416,734 visitors in 2006 - a 2% increase over 2005 but is this good news for the most loved national park?

This is the largest increase in visitors to the GSMNP in 5 years. Even higher gas prices didn't drive away tourists and locals from coming. Even the off season months are seeing huge gains some of which have broken previous national park visitor records but summer peak season was off compared to previous years. Leaf season which runs from September to November picked up the slack for the lower summer visitation numbers.

Camping within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is also on the increase with approximately 351,000 campers staying in both the frontcountry and backcountry areas of the National Park. Backcountry camping has seen only a negligible increase of a few hundred campers and frontcountry camping has seen an increase of almost 2 percent increase of approximately 6,000 additional visitors.

Visitation increases in 2006 to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park did not increase evenly across all of the park entrances. Where the Gatlinburg TN entrance to the park has seen almost flat increases visitation figures, outlying areas such as Cosby TN, Big Creek TN, Cataloochee NC and the like have seen visitor increases of 5%.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Visitation by Park Entrance for 2006
Outlying Areas (TN and NC)	2,211,186	+ 5%
Townsend Tennessee	1,482,059	+ 3%
Cherokee N Carolina	2,321,471	+ 2%
Gatlinburg Tennessee	3,402,018	< +1%
Total	9,416,734	+ 2%

So what does all mean to the park, the visitors and outlying businesses in and around the Smoky Mountains?

The park is already stressed. The entire park staff and volunteers are doing an exceptional job with extremely limited resources which are already stretched to the breaking point.

Some of the roads, facilities and trails are badly in need of repair and show signs of overuse or abuse. Where 1 person carelessly tossing a tissue on a trail is bad, dozen or hundreds dropping even small pieces of litter or even organic matter such as apple cores or orange peels in quite another thing.

Walking or hiking off of designated trails is not illegal, but can do serious damage to environmentally sensitive areas. One person who is careful may not do significant damage but again, in numbers many people wondering around off of designated hiking trails can do serious damage to plants as well as the habitats of sensitive insects, aquatic life and animals.

What goes for staying on the "beaten path" also goes for walking through streams and moving rocks and aquatic plants. It is best to cross streams at regular crossings and not to disturb what is in the stream bed.

The areas in and around the Smoky Mountains are growing by leaps and bounds making the top Real Estate agents and real estate brokers and well as mortgage companies and banks in the Smokies quite happy.

Cabin companies, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions are also seeing increased revenue due to the many people who fall in love with the Smokies many of which come back again and again.

What these 2006 park visitation figures are showing is that more and more people are looking to experience the lesser known and lesser visited parts of the Smoky Mountains National Park. Is this phenomenon because the same visitors have seen the more popular areas of the park and are looking for some place new or are they trying to avoid the crowds of the most visited parts of this national park? I would be interested to know and I am conducting my own straw poll in regard to this.

Since so many businesses in the Smokies benefit because of tourism to the park, I make this plea to donate to organizations such as Friends of the Smokies or have a company picnic in the park after you have everyone spend an hour or two picking up litter in the park. Not only will the visitors who come to the park - your customers - appreciate it, you will feel better doing something good for the environment.