July 2018
News & Happenings from
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fun Fact About Spiders: " Arthropods regulate all the main ecological terrestrial systems on the planet. Without them it has been estimated that almost all life on land (including humans) would go extinct in nine months." – WCU Biology Professor Kefyn Catley. Learn more below.
Willa of the Wood
author coming to GSMNP
Great Smoky Mountains Association is pleased to announce that our national park visitor center bookstores will soon make available Robert Beatty's newest novel, Willa of the Wood.

Those familiar with the best-selling Serafina series, which follo ws a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., will be excited to learn Beatty's newest series is set in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and follows a young night-spirit girl through her magical world before the establishment of the park.

After the book's release on July 10, all sales of Willa of the Wood through GSMA will support Great Smoky Mountains Association's work to preserve and protect this national park. Until our new website is launched, sales of Willa of the Wood are also available at 865.436.7318, Ext. 226.
Click above to listen as Willa of the Wood author Robert Beatty reads Chapter 1 of his new book, set in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Plans are underway now to bring Beatty to the park for a book signing event later this summer. Stay tuned for details.
New website set to launch in July
For almost five months, our tech team here at Great Smoky Mountains Association has been hard at work improving our web store experience to ensure your future online purchases in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are quicker and easier than ever. We’re excited to say it's almost ready for launch. (Fingers crossed!!)

And what better way to help you get familiar with our new and improved web store than with a scavenger hunt challenge after our launch date. Be sure to look for it in your email inbox soon. All those who seek and find all the correct answers will receive 5% off your first web store purchase.

Until our launch date, we want to hear from you about the products and features of our site you're most looking for to exploring. Please take a minute to let us share your thoughts with the link below.
Love them or hate them, we need spiders
If you are one of the millions worldwide who suffers from arachnophobia, we hope this month's quiz doesn 't exacerbate your condition. In fact, just the opposite: We hope you work up the nerve to face your fears and learn a little more about these incredibly valuable members of our environment.

This question didn't make it into our quiz, but did you know that the venom of a black widow spider is 15 times more toxic than the venom of a rattlesnake? Thankfully, neither have any desire to bite us and both should be left alone.

Our lucky winner this month will receive a copy of Audubon's Field Guide to Insects and Spiders . To qualify, your quiz answers must be submitted by midnight July 27. Good luck!
Striped jumping spider.
Photo by Kefyn Catley

Congratulations to Carol Jacobs of Indiana for winning last month's quiz.
Black bear jewelry?
Not exactly...
Ever wondered the significance of ear tags on Smoky Mountain black bears?

Wildlife rangers use these tags to quickly identify bears that have been handled for management reasons. The bear may have been removed from a visitor-use area, such as a campground or picnic area. Discouraging bears from these areas helps prevent human-bear interactions and food conditioning.

The female bear in this video was seen in Cades Cove with her yearling cub. Wildlife biologists expect to see lots of yearling bears this summer. These yearlings have been with their moms since their birth early last year and will disperse soon and set out on their own.
Click Above to Watch
Video by Valerie Polk
Some of our favorite authors are coming to the Smokies this summer. Please plan to stop in and spend some time getting to know them and their work.
Ben Anderson, author of Smokies Chronicles, will be at Oconaluftee Visitor Center Saturday, July 7, from 1-3 p.m.
Lisa Horstman, author of The Great Smoky Mountains Salamander Ball, will be at Sugarlands Visitor Center Saturday, July 21, from 1-3 p.m.
David Brill, author of Into the Mist, will be Oconaluftee Visitor Center Saturday, July 21, from 1-3 p.m. He'll also be at Sugarlands Visitor Center Sunday, July 22, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Jeff Alt, author of A Walk for Sunshine and The Adventures of Bubba Jones, will be at Sugarlands Visitor Center Saturday, July 28, from 1-3 p.m.
Members Weekend: Celebrating 'Community in the Wilderness'
As we suspected when we began planning our "Community in the Wilderness" Members Weekend, interest has been high for this year's event.

As of today, more than 130 Great Smoky Mountains Association members have registered to join us as we honor the lake's once-vibrant North Shore communities with our "Community in the Wilderness" theme.

"We knew our list of planned activities would fill up fast," said Lisa Duff, GSMA Marketing and Membership Director. "That's why we are excited to be joining forces with Fontana Village Resort and Marina." Even if all the planned activities with participation limits are full, there's still lots of reasons to register, she said.

"For example, our dinners on both Friday and Saturday nights are open to all, followed by two engaging keynote speaker programs," said Duff. "The events hall at Fontana can easily hold nearly 400 folks. Add to that the resort's list of on-your-own activities, and joining us is still a great way to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends and explore this out-of-the-way area of the national park."
Getting on the lake is also an on-your-own option at Fontana. The marina has a large selection of pontoon boats and kayaks available to rent, along with paddleboards and canoes.
I Had No Idea:
Civilian Conservation Corps Artists in the Smokies
By Michael Aday

Many visitors to the Smokies are familiar with the Civilian Conservation Corps. This Depression-era government program was one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s most popular and successful relief programs. Millions of young men were fed, clothed and housed, and in return they planted more than 3 billion trees, worked on soil conservation projects in the western United States, and helped construct hiking trails and other infrastructure in state and national parks. Their toil helped shape the modern state and national park system we enjoy today. The Smokies are no exception.

But what park visitors may not know is that many CCC camps were also assigned artists...
When CCC artist J.D. Chaffin completed the sketch above, he labeled it: "Spiny soft-shelled turtle (from live), 8/6/37"
Little Sluice of Heaven
Gunter Fork Trail
By Dana Murphy

I looked up the weather, phoned a friend, and planned our vehicle shuttle for a pick up at Balsam Mountain Trail. We were about to embark on 15.9 miles of backcountry hiking to complete 4.1 miles of trail that is notorious for difficult water crossings in the spring.

Knowing our mileage would be long, we hit Big Creek Trail at dawn and started a fast pace along the gently ascending Big Creek Trail 6.1 miles, passed Low Gap Trail in the blink of an eye and left Camel Gap Trail in our dust....
*Dry Sluice: Named for a small hollow or valley called a sluice, which has a spring-fed stream that sinks beneath the surface for several hundred yards before re-emerging. Hence, the upper part of the sluice is generally dry. - From  Place Names of the Smokies
Benefits of Spiders
By Frances Figart

Spiders tend to get a bad rap, but they are actually critical to the balance of our ecosystems. Kefyn Catley will explain how on Friday, July 20, as part of Discover Life In America’s Science at Sugarlands series, a free public event at Sugarlands Visitor Center at which participants will get to go on a spider hunt.

Catley, a biology professor at Western Carolina University, teaches and conducts research in the evolutionary biology of spiders. He holds a Ph.D. in arthropod systematics from Cornell, was a research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, and has taught Spiders of the Southern Appalachians at Highlands Biological Station in North Carolina since 2004. 
 
FF: It’s not every day you meet someone who has studied spiders on four continents. Why do you find them so fascinating?
Garden Spider - Photo by Kefyn Catley
Celebrating Cosby: Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow
“Celebrating Cosby: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” community programs to be held through August 17 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Cosby Campground Amphitheater.

“Celebrating Cosby” will honor the rich cultural and natural history of the Cosby area. All are invited to join park staff and community members in celebrating Cosby.
Smokies Life Redux: Rhododendron Revisited
Click above to watch our video by Valerie Polk,
then use the link below to finish reading our talk with
author Courtney Lix.

By Frances Figart

Did you know that there are more than 1,000 species of rhododendron in the world? Can you name the four species we have in the Smokies?
 
I learned these things and more when I edited an article by Courtney Lix for publication in the current issue of  Smokies Life . Courtney's story provides insight into this ubiquitous and resilient plant—one that might easily be taken for granted by locals and repeat visitors to the park.
Shop the Smokies!
All purchases support the national park
From left, Emily Polk, daughter of Valerie and Jay Polk; Sawyer Wilson, son of Gary and Nicole Wilson; and Violet Key, daughter of Karen and Andy Key. Thanks to Valerie for her work on this video. Click to watch.
Keep your kids busy this summer!
Great Smoky Mountains Association has just the thing to keep your kids busy this summer on those inevitable rainy days - MINI BLOCKS.

Our toy testers, all children of GSMA employees, enjoyed assembling a deer, Smokey Bear and a park ranger. Also available are a black bear and a tiny model of Clingmans Dome Tower. Mini Blocks are similar to Lego Brand Blocks, only much smaller, and are recommended for children ages 7+.
More importantly, keep your husband busy this summer!
NEW HAT – The lawn is mowed. The dog is walked. And the trash has been hauled to the curb. Nothing left for him to do but go fishing in the clear, cool streams of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, decked out in our new Hazel Creek hat, complete with an embroidered rod, line and fly.

Until our new website is launched later this month, visit our stores in an around the national park or call us at 865.436.7318, Ext. 226.
Christmas in July

Our 2018 "I'm Rooted in the Smokies" member Christmas ornament is on store shelves now. This 3D design is made exclusively for GSMA by Tim Weberding in his Gatlinburg Craft Community workshop. It features our GRITS tree with bear paw leaves and deep roots in Smoky Mountain soil enclosed in multiple rings of natural wood and emerald green.

The Weberding Woodworking Company supplies GSMA many other wooden ornament styles. Their members-only design from four years ago remains one of our most popular. Until this one, that is.

GSMA members are invited to stop by any of our visitor center locations to pick up yours today. Ornaments are also available by phone at our Mail Order Department at 865.436.7318, Ext. 226.
Cherokee storyteller
to visit Cades Cove
Master Cherokee storyteller Kathi Littlejohn (right) will present two storytelling sessions in Cades Cove in July and August.

Littlejohn, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been telling stories since 1986. She is known for delivering her stories in a dramatic, entertaining, expressive and down-to-earth style. 

Her next presentation will be Saturday, July 14, at 8 p.m. at the Cades Cove Camp-ground Amphitheater, followed on Thursday, August 2, from 1-3 p.m. at the Cades Cove Visitor Center near Cable Mill, halfway around the Loop Road.
Enlist in our first ever Hammock Boot Camp
Our Branch Out with Great Smoky Mountains Association events this year have been more popular than ever before. We've gathered together to climb some of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi, paid our respects to those who came before us and gotten up close and personal with salamanders.

What's next, you ask? Join us for the ultimate in relaxation this fall when we introduce Hammock Boot Camp, for those who prefer to kick back and take it easy. As an added bonus, all registrations include your own GSMA logo hammock.
Volunteer group repairs historic Palmer barn
For those of you who have visited Cataloochee recently and stood in awe of the Palmer Barn renovation work, you'll be happy to know that volunteerism and philanthropic support made it so.

Asheville, N.C., building contractor Sean Perry and his crew partnered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Friends of the Smokies to preserve the barn's structural integrity and improve visitor safety....
National Park visitation to date
Will Great Smoky Mountains National Park retain the title of 'Most Visited National Park' in 2018? Only time will tell...

January - 320,864
February - 399,156
March - 689,235
April - 816,079
May - 978,199
Total for 2018 = 3,203,533
2017 visitation through May: 3,305,718
Shop our Lookout League
Business Partners
Partner of the Month:
Cove Mtn. Level ($1,000)

Eden Crest is a full-service vacation rental company providing luxury cabin rentals to Great Smoky Mountains visitors since 2004. Their team is committed to serving the needs of their clients and guests, building lifetime relationships, one person at a time.

Spacious rental cabins include the finest amenities, including fully equipped kitchens, hot tubs, bedside Jacuzzis, saunas, pool tables, home theaters, free long distance calling, free internet access and magnificent mountain views.

Thank you to Eden Crest for your support of the Smokies!

GSMA members save 15% and all guests are offered over $300 free attraction tickets. 
Thank You to First Tennessee Bank for renewing their Lookout League business parntership with GSMA at the Mt. Cammerer Level ($2,500). Presenting the BIG CHECK to GSMA CEO Laurel Rematore (left) is Jim Millsaps of First Tennessee Bank.
Smokies Guide
The most recent issue of Smokies Guide , Great Smoky Mountains National Park's official park newspaper, is available to read online and can be mailed to you for free (S&H charges apply). Call 865.436.7318, Ext. 226 for mailing details.
Our talented 'Cubbies'
We like to say, "It takes a village to raise a cub." Great Smoky Mountains Association's Cub Report e-newsletter is published on the last Wednesday of each month, with the exception of January.

These talented individuals contributed to this month's issue:
Laurel Rematore, Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Duff, Cub Report Editor
Michael Aday, Frances Figart, Sarah Kirkland, Dana Murphy, Valerie Polk
and Daniel Young
Got questions? We've got answers
Share your thoughts on this issue
When you visit
In addition to our web store, Great Smoky Mountains Association operates 12 visitor contact stations in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. GSMA staff members are always available to help you find educational materials guaranteed to enhance your park experience. When you stop by, be sure to tell our team how much the Cub Report means to you!
Oconaluftee Visitor Center (above) is located near Cherokee, N.C.
Great Smoky Mountains Association
865.436.7318 | Email | Website