June 2019
Happenings from
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Did you know... After birds, butterflies and moths are the most common flying animals you're likely to encounter in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Unlike birds, however, butterflies (and to a lesser degree moths) are relatively easy to see, approach, photograph and identify.
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National park tourism generates $953 million
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A new National Park Service report shows that 11,421,203 visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2018 spent $953 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 13,737 jobs in the local area.
“Year after year, the Smokies staff care for this special place and provide rewarding experiences for visitors,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “Since last November, we’ve welcomed nearly 1 million visitors to the new section of the Foothills Parkway, offering a new park experience with magnificent views of the highest peaks of the Smokies. We appreciate the long-standing support of our gateway communities and are glad to have this opportunity to give back by helping support the local economy.”
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Foothills Parkway West. NPS photo
National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, with every dollar invested by American taxpayers in the National Park Service returning $10 to the economy.
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Trillium Gap Trail
rehabilitation started
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A two-year trail rehabilitation project has begun on Trillium Gap Trail. Due to the construction process on the narrow trail, a full closure is necessary for the safety of both the crew and visitors, according to park officials.
The trail and associated parking lot along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail will be closed through November 15 on Monday mornings at 7 a.m. through Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. weekly.
Trillium Gap Trail will remain fully open each Friday, Saturday, Sunday and on federal holidays
Trillium Gap Trail is one of the busiest trails in the park as it provides access to the popular Grotto Falls and the summit of Mt. Le Conte. There will not be any access to Grotto Falls during the weekday closures.
Hikers can still reach Mt. Le Conte, LeConte Lodge, and the Le Conte Shelter by using one of the other four trails to the summit including the recently restored Rainbow Falls and Alum Cave Trails.
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“We recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Trails Forever partnership with the Friends of the Smokies, and I couldn’t be more proud of the amazing work accomplished by our crews, youth interns, and volunteers in transforming trails across the park,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “While we hate to disappoint hikers with weekday closures, the results are well worth the inconvenience and allow us the opportunity to continue to protect these special places for generations to come.”
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Where to look for butterflies and moths in the Smokies?
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Put Smoky Mountain fireflies
on your bookshelf today!
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and
*Fireflies, Glow-worms and Lightning Bugs by Lynn Frierson Faust
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*Firefly Experience by Radim Schreiber
and
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SPECIAL NOTE: Photographer Radim Schreiber will sign copies of
Firefly Experience at Sugarlands Visitor Center June 2-5 from noon until 4 p.m. Sugarlands is located two miles south of the Gatlinburg, TN, entrance to GSMNP.
*Some titles are available in-store only.
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All purchases support the park!
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Back of Beyond
authors speak to
The State of Things
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If you were listening to
The State of Things
on WUNC-Radio out of Chapel Hill, NC, recently, you may have heard
Back of Beyond
authors George Ellison and Janet McCue speaking with show host Frank Stasio about their new biography of Horace Kephart.
"There was only one way to do things, Frank, and that was the Kephart way," George tells the host.
"Kephart saw the mountains as saving his life," Janet says. "I see Kephart's largest contribution as conveying the idea of a national park in the Smokies."
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In addition to being interviewed for the National Public Radio program, both George and Janet recently took a few minutes to talk with GSMA videographer Valerie Polk about their shared fascination with Horace Kephart. Click on the image above to see archival images from Kephart's life and times in the Great Smoky Mountains.
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Horace Kephart Titles Available Exclusively from GSMA
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Fryemont Inn, Kephart Foundation to host special event
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Fryemont Inn and the Horace Kephart Foundation will host a special
Back of Beyond
release celebration in Bryson City, NC, June 7-9. Books will be available for sale at the Fryemont Gift Shop and the Swain County Visitors Center. The authors will sign books at most events.
Horace Kephart: His Life and Legacy
, a
documentary film, will also be available for sale at the Fryemont and Swain County Visitors Center.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
5:30 p.m. Gather on the porch at the Fryemont Inn. Cash bar, light hor d'ouvres.
6:30 p.m. Dinner at the Fryemont with the authors, Kephart scholars and members of the Kephart Family. Reservations required: 828.488.2159; evening program to follow dinner.
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SATURDAY, JUNE 8
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Ceremony to be held at Horace Kephart's grave in Bryson City Cemetery
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Authors will sign books at the Swain County Visitors Center in downtown Bryson City, N.C.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Join the Kephart Walking Tour of Bryson City with host Libby Kephart Hargrave. Meet at the Swain County Visitors Center.
5 – 6:30 p.m. Wine and cheese reception and book signing, Fryemont Lobby
7 p.m. Dinner with the authors, Kephart scholars and members of the Kephart family. Reservations required at 828.488.2159; evening program to follow dinner.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
10:30 a.m. Guided waterfall/loop hike at Deep Creek with Butch McDade and Libby Kephart Hargrave. Meet at Deep Creek Parking Lot.
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Authors will sign books at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C.
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Text and Artwork
By Emma DuFort
Summer is almost here, and so are the many migratory birds that make the Smokies their breeding grounds. One such bird is the stark red (yellow-orange in females) Summer Tanager, which can be distinguished from the closely related Scarlet Tanager by the lack of dark wings in both the male and female.
The two also appear to fill different elevation niches. The Scarlet Tanager is more commonly found above 2,000 feet, while the Summer Tanager is seldom found there. The Summer Tanager is an adept predator of flying insects, even tearing open wasp nests to extract their larvae.
They’ve also been observed rubbing adult wasps on trees to remove the stingers.
These birds spend much of their time high in the canopy and are more often heard than seen, even with their eye-catching coloration.
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Listen for a raspy
picka-tucka-tuck
, like a robin with a sore throat. Cades Cove and Cherokee Orchard Road are good places to look.
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“Don’t eat me. I taste bad.”
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When birds try to eat some caterpillars, they quickly find out that they taste bad and learn to avoid them. -
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar image by Elizabeth A. Domingue
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It's butterfly and moth trivia time
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By Logan Boldon
Quiz Master
Test your knowledge of the critters that flitter with this month's butterflies and moths photo identification quiz! The use of
field guides
is permitted.
Our winner will be chosen at random from those who answer all 10 questions correctly by 5 p.m. Friday, June 14. That individual will receive a copy of GSMA's new
Butterflies and Moths of the Smokies
field guide. Good luck!
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail image by Charles R. Smith
Last month's winner of the
Horace Kephart
quiz was Teresa Neiswanger of Florida. Congratulations!
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I had no idea!
The road that led around the world
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By Michael Aday
Librarian-Archivist
Collections Preservation Center
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
What do Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, Panama and Alaska have in common? They can all boast major roads built by one man, Knoxville native John L. Humbard. Well, technically, a lot of men were involved, but Humbard supervised them all.
Born in Knoxville, TN, in 1892, Humbard studied engineering at St. Joseph College in Maryland, after which he operated a successful construction company until the financial crash of the Great Depression forced his business to close in 1932. Soon after Humbard began work as an engineer for the Bureau of Public Roads.
Humbard was tasked with constructing Newfound Gap Road/U.S. Highway 441 from Gatlinburg, TN, to Cherokee, N.C. in 1934...
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At the time of its completion in 1939, Newfound Gap Road was the most technically difficult highway construction project anywhere in the United States. At a cost of $2 million ($37 million in today’s economy), the construction project employed hundreds of men, took the lives of several, and required innovation and determination. - NPS Archive photo
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Eastern Comma is like a Question Mark
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Wings distinctly, irregularly shaped with jagged edges and a short tail, hence the name “anglewings” is sometimes applied to Commas and Question Marks. -
Eastern Comma image by Elizabeth A. Domingue
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Fish restoration talk set for Science at Sugarlands
on Friday, June 21
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By Frances Figart
Part of the mission of any national park is protecting and restoring species that were once native. Restoring native fish is an exciting area of Smokies science that goes unseen by those who are not swimming or snorkeling in park waters.
During the next Science at Sugarlands presented by DLiA, Pat Rakes (pictured right) will discuss – and show terrific photos of – the often hidden world of our colorful park fish. Rakes has been involved in fish restoration since 1985 when he was a graduate student studying zoology at University of Tennessee–Knoxville and is co-founder and co-director of Conservation Fisheries Inc. with partner J.R. Shute (left).
Frances
:
How did you become interested in fish and fish restoration?
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Pat:
I’ve kept and bred freshwater tropical fish since I was a kid and always been interested in fish behavior and ecology and marine biology. I didn’t know there was such a thing as restoration until I started grad school at UT under Dr. Etnier. My thesis project was the life history and ecology description of the Barrens Topminnow and I immediately kept and propagated captive populations of that species and participated in restorations (now, sadly, a federally endangered species, permanently conservation-dependent)...
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To learn more about our park's waterways, buy
Land of Falling Water today, one in our series of Smoky Mountain Explorer films. Then, click on the video image to watch a preview of
Hidden River, a film by Freshwaters Illustrated.
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Butterflies and moths need water, too!
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Because of its accessibility and variety of different habitats and water sources, Cades Cove is one of the best places to look for butterflies and moths, followed by the Cataloochee Valley. -
Juniper Hairstreak image by John Flannery
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Little Sluice of Heaven:
Accessing a tiny sliver of the Appalachian Trail
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By Lisa Duff
Memorial Day Monday found me with a mild case of cabin fever, which was a bit strange since CF is typically a wintertime ailment. What happened was this: I’d successfully managed to add a few at-home days to the end of my vacation to allow for ease of real-world re-entry, and Monday, as it turned out, was one day too many.
As is my habit when seeking a quick CF cure, I pulled out my trusty park trail map and began contemplating a loop hike – what some playfully call a lollipop – with the potential to whet my appetite for adventure. Glancing far right (or east), I landed on Chestnut Branch Trail, a two-mile, Appalachian Trail access route out of Big Creek. Once I hit the A.T., I knew I’d find a respite from the 90+ degree temperatures that were plaguing the lower elevations...
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Editor's Note: We call our hiking column
Little Sluice of Heaven
in honor of Dry Sluice Gap: 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
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Alfalfa: It's what's for dinner
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Since about 1920, the Orange Sulphur butterfly has become more numerous and has broadened its range, following the cultivation of its preferred food plant, Alfalfa. -
Orange Sulphur image by Elizabeth A. Domingue
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Members Weekend schedule announced
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Picture Yourself in the Smokies
is this year's Great Smoky Mountains Association Members Weekend theme. To go along with this idea, we've planned... You guessed it, a photo contest! But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Bet you'd like the basics first:
When
: Friday – Sunday, September 20 – 22
Where
: River Terrace Resort, Downtown Gatlinburg, TN
Who
: All GRITS members are invited to attend
Why
: This event marks your chance each year to gather as a group, interact with NPS representatives, GSMA staff and board members
Accommodations can be made now; event registration will open soon.
Watch for details to arrive soon.
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Monarch tagging for members
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GSMA members
are invited each year to help the park learn more about monarch butterfly migratory routes. Our butterfly tagging sessions are some of our most popular events each year. Bookmark this
LINK
and check it often for Branch Out event updates.
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Dear ol' dad will look good sporting this hat
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Father's Day is June 16, which gives you plenty of time to show dad you've been thinking of him. Send him our Great Smoky Mountains National Park Legacy trucker hat, featuring our park's iconic black bear profile. It will remind you both of cherished memories from the Smokies.
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Will our children inherit a world were butterflies flourish?
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Introduce your children to the wonderful world of butterflies. As open space and wildlife habitat shrink, this important children’s story by Mindy Lighthipe drives home the point that all life is interconnected and we need to leave plenty of room on the planet we share.
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When spring is over, these, too, will vanish
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The artists at Deneen Pottery have done it again. They've created exclusively for Great Smoky Mountains National Park this high-quality mug featuring our very own Yellow Lady's Slippers, a rare and beautiful orchid like no other!
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*Member Pricing
Member pricing above is based on a 15% discount offered to GSMA members at the entry level; additional discounts are available at higher membership levels.
Member discounts are not available on clearance items.
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When using our website...
GSMA members have access to
two login
areas. Your membership portal sign in is separate from your web store sign in, which is found in the tan bar at the top of our website. Your membership portal sign in is found
only
after accessing these areas:
- Membership Signup
- Event Registration
- Legacy Fund Donations
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ALL sales of all ranger-approved products support the national park.
If you experience difficulty using our website, please
EMAIL
us and we'll do our best to help.
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All purchases support the park!
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Curiosity Cabinet:
Hellbenders
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By Peyton Proffitt
Growing up in a gateway community, I spent most of my childhood summers swimming in the rivers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of my happiest memories are of looking for salamanders with my friends and sketching the specimens in my notebook.
For my first
Curiousity Cabinet
, I decided to feature the biggest salamander of all: the hellbender.
Two subspecies of hellbenders (
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
are found in the United States
,
the Ozark and the Eastern. The Eastern hellbender resides in the streams of the Smoky Mountains, though I personally have never seen one. The specimen pictured was collected and preserved in the 1930s; its location cannot be disclosed in order to protect the remaining population.
At first glance, the hellbender could be mistaken for one of the smooth rocks found in the river, but this is actually where they make their home. These salamanders are gill-less, so they breathe through blood vessels in their skin. The rippling water that flows quickly between rocks provides oxygen. For this reason, it is important that river rocks remain undisturbed...
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Two subspecies of hellbenders (
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
are found in the United States
,
the Ozark and the Eastern. The Eastern hellbender resides in the streams of the Smoky Mountains. Hellbender photo by the author
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"Watch out! I might sting you (not)."
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This Riley's Clearwing moth and other members of its family are wasp and bee mimics, which may help them to avoid predators. -
Riley's Clearwing image by Sharon Mammoser
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Sweet stack cake for your next
park picnic
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Taken directly from our
Mountain Makin's in the Smokies
cookbook, this recipe from Mrs. Louise Liner appears from the instructions not to add the milk. Not so, says GSMA's resident Country Cook Karen Key. "The milk should be added at the same time as the sorghum."
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Regular Price: $9.99
Member Price: $8.49
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Regular Price: $3.95
Member Price: $3.35
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Regular Price: $8.95
Member Price: $7.60
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomed a record 11,421,203 visitors in 2018. Who will 2019 bring to the Smokies?
January: 496,743
February: 421,770
March: 786,305
April: 999,259
Total So Far: 2,704,077
January – April 2018: 2,222,291
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Want to do your part to help butterflies and moths thrive? Consider reducing your mowing and limiting your use of herbicides and insecticides. Planting butterfly gardens can be a particularly enjoyable way to attract butterflies to your yard for closer study and can contribute to their conservation in some cases. -
Silvery Blue image by Charles R. Smith
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Support Our Lookout League Business Partners
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Lookout League membership is a sign of a business’s commitment to supporting the perpetual preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This month we travel to Newport, TN, to visit with another a long-time member of the Lookout League.
Newport Federal Bank
has been supporting GSMA since 2011, making this their ninth year. Located in Cocke County, they have been in business since 1934 assisting generations of families in home ownership, providing loans, deposit accounts and other financial needs.
Next time you head to Newport, stop by and thank them for supporting the Smokies.
New Businesses
Look Rock Level ($250 annually)
Renewing Businesses
Shuckstack Level ($500 annually)
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Look Rock Level ($250 annually)
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If you own a business, please contact
Breckenridge@GSMAssoc.org to learn how your business can be part of the Great Smoky Mountains Association Lookout League.
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Discover zebras without booking a safari
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The state butterfly for Tennessee, the Zebra Swallowtail is distinctive and well named. It is a butterfly of lower elevations, where its larval food plant occurs. -
Zebra Swallowtail image by John Flannery
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If you're not shopping for Father's Day with us...
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Great Smoky Mountains Association carries more than 6,000 products designed to enrich your dad's relationship with this national park. We know, however, that we cannot supply you with everything you need. When that happens, please consider Googling your way to Amazon.com and adding a SMILE to your URL window.
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When you start with
Smile.Amazon.com and choose to support GSMA, the online superstore will give .5% of your purchase back to Great Smoky Mountains Association. Gifts to GSMA in March totaled $130!
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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.
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Great Smoky Mountains Association's Cub Report e-newsletter is published on or about the last Wednesday of each month, with the exception of January.
Laurel Rematore, Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Duff, Cub Report Editor
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Writers and contributors to this issue include Mike Aday, Logan Boldon, Emma DuFort, Frances Figart, Karen Key, Breckenridge Morgan, Valerie Polk and Peyton Proffitt.
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In addition to our
web store
, Great Smoky Mountains Association operates 11 visitor contact stations in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through our partnership with Blount County, TN, we offer products and services designed to enrich your connection to the national park at the Townsend Visitor Center.
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Save with our card when you visit other
national parks, too.
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