2009 ShaConage Newsletter - Friends of the Smokies

from the FriendsBY JIM HART, PRESIDENTAs 2009 draws to a close, Iam reflecting back fondly on thepark’s yearlong 75thAnniversary celebration. It hasbeen an amazing success interms of raising unprecedentedsupport, and raising awarenessof both the park’s beauty and itschallenges.Superintendent DaleDitmanson and his entire staffworked tirelessly for two yearspreparing for the celebration. Asthe celebration got underway,the April 24th Governor’s Proclamation at Clingman’s Dome, theJune 13th performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra inCades Cove, the June 15th groundbreaking at OconalufteeVisitors Center; and the September 2nd Rededication atNewfound Gap were enjoyable and tremendously well-organizedevents. They seemed to move along effortlessly, but requiredHerculean efforts by many. All of us at Friends of the Smokiesthank Superintendent Ditmanson, 75th Anniversary CoordinatorAnn Froschauer, and all of the park’s employees and volunteersfor the pride and dedication they demonstrated throughout the75th Anniversary celebration.A huge word of thanks goes to Dolly Parton and Dollywood.As the official 75th Anniversary ambassador, Dolly broughtinternational attention to the historic celebration. Her love ofthese mountains is pure and undeniable. She captures the sentimentsthat so many of us feel about the Smokies in her song“My Mountains, My Home”; she wrote- “These are my mountains,my valleys, these are my rivers flowing like a song. Theseare my people, my memories. These are my mountains; this ismy home.” (You can hear this song on her CD “Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke”; see cover story for purchase locations).The 75th Anniversary year brought about a special partnershipbetween the Great Smoky Mountains National Park andDollywood. More than $225,000 has been raised so far throughsales of the “Sha-Kon-O-Hey!” CDs and the special May 9thpremier of the musical “Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke”.Dolly and Dollywood demonstrated tremendous leadership intheir support of the 75th Anniversary, helping to emphasize thepositive economic impact that the Smokies’ visitors have on thesurrounding communities.Our generous 75th Anniversary sponsors also deserve specialrecognition; their contributions of more than $263,000helped support the 75th anniversary activities. (See list on page7.) Additionally, the Knoxville News Sentinel donated in-kindadvertising support in excess of $65,000 in 2009.As we move forward into 2010, our challenge is to keep thismomentum going, to continue to emphasize Great SmokyMountains National Park as a place of beauty that is worth preservingand protecting for the next 75 years- and beyond. Thankyou for your faithful and generous membership support, for yourpurchase of our Tennessee and North Carolina license plates, foryour gifts of volunteer time and financial resources. It all addsto up to the fact that Friends of the Smokies makes a differencein Great Smoky Mountains National Park!© Don McGowanfor the ParkBY DALE DITMANSON, SUPERINTENDENTWhen the staff and partners ofGreat Smoky Mountains NationalPark set out to celebrate the Park’s75th Anniversary we set our sightson a celebration of our past and afocus on stewardship for our future.I could not be more pleased withthe “Celebration of the Past” whichhas taken place in and around thePark. Through a series of specialevents and media coverage, a greatmany stories have been told aboutthe Park’s creation, its natural andcultural resources and, most importantly,its people. The Smokies hasbeen the focus of worldwide newscoverage, due in part to the participation of Dolly Parton as thePark’s 75th Anniversary Ambassador. Dolly brought theanniversary tremendous visibility, but even more, she personifiedthe love and connection that people feel for the Great SmokyMountains.We have reconnected with many of those families who sacrificedtheir land, their homes, and neighbors to make way forthe Park’s creation. We have spent time with CivilianConservation Corps “boys” who talk with pride about how theybuilt much of the Park’s recognizable infrastructure. We haveworked with our partners and with all neighboring cities andcounties to plan the in-park events and to link the Park’s anniversaryto a multitude of community events throughout the year.Reconnecting with those who lived on the land and hearingthe stories of their sacrifice, and of the determination and philanthropyof supporters of the Park’s creation, has set the stage for alegacy of stewardship of the Park’s resources. In recognition ofthe Park’s 75th Anniversary, we have embarked upon two keylegacy projects with our partners, the Friends of the Smokies andGreat Smoky Mountains Association. They have teamed up tofund and construct a new, environmentally sustainable visitorOconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C. The exhibitsbeing developed with Friends funding will focus on the Park’scultural stories beginning with Native American heritage andcontinuing through the periods of settlement, logging and mining,and the creation of the National Park. We plan to open thedoors in early 2011. We are also making steady progress inworking with the Friends to establish a $4 million “TrailsForever” endowment to fund a permanent expansion of our trailcrews to upgrade the condition of our trails.We still face many challenges: Air pollution continues toimpact the Park’s vistas, as well as the health of forests, streams,and wildlife. A succession of non-native plants and diseases suchas the hemlock woolly adelgid is threatening the Park’s internationallyrenowned biodiversity. Many of the Park’s historicstructures are in need of preservation, traffic congestion continuesto impact visitor enjoyment in Cades Cove, and the Park’sinvaluable collection of artifacts needs a permanent home. Wealso need to be prepared to connect with visitors in a changingworld through new media, education, and ranger-led programsand to invest in updating facilities for environmental educationopportunities at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.Great Smoky Mountains National Park has strong partnersand generous dedicated neighbors who are advocating for criticalresources, so despite these obstacles I am reassured after seeingthe outpouring of support for the Park’s anniversary year. I feelthat the will and the tools will be there so that the Smokies willbe protected and enjoyed for generations to come.NPS2is produced by Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is published three times a year.Phone: (800) 845-5665 | e-mail: fotshb@bellsouth.net | www.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org | Editor: Holly Scott

75TH ANNIVERSARY REDEDICATION EVENTBy Holly ScottOn September 2, 2009, more than 2,500 people gathered atNewfound Gap for the rededication of Great SmokyMountains National Park. Onstage were Secretary of theInterior Ken Salazar, Chief Michell Hicks of the EasternBand of Cherokee, and Superintendent Dale Ditmanson,among many other politicians and dignitaries, but all eyeswere on Dolly Parton. Before her unforgettable performance,complete with mists rising from the Sugarlands Valleylike an enormous natural fog machine, there were movingspeeches and prayers emphasizing the importance of beinggood stewards of the bounty of natural resources in GreatSmoky Mountains National Park. Senator LamarAlexander’s comments were particularly meaningful, andwe wanted to share them with our Friends.Friends Board Chair Mark Williams, Superintendent Dale Ditmanson,North Carolina Representative Heath Shuler, United States InteriorSecetary Ken Salazar.Jack WilliamsJack WilliamsJack WilliamsStatement of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander at the75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park“Governors Bredesen and Perdue, Secretary Salazar, Dolly Parton, my colleagues inCongress, fellow friends of the Smokies, in 1934 a ranger wrote a memo identifying thewildlife he had found in this new park. There were 100 black bears. Today there are1,600. There were 315 wild turkeys then. The other day I saw 21 outside my home twomiles from the park boundary. 75 years ago there were 12 whitetail deer in Tennesseeand six in North Carolina. Today they’re everywhere. Then there were no peregrinefalcons, no river otters, no elk in the Great Smokies, but they are all here today.25 years ago, as Governor, I spoke at the 50th anniversary. There was no law then controllingacid rain and no organization called ‘Friends of the Smokies.’ Today, acid rainlaws are working and the ‘Friends’ have contributed $28 million.So what should we hope for as we look to the 100th anniversary? I hope we have finishedcleaning the air so that, instead of seeing smog, we can always see the blue hazeabout which the Cherokee sang; and that we will have done more to celebrate the wayof life of families who lived here; that we will have become better students of theremarkable environmental diversity here—more different kinds of trees than in all ofEurope, new species discovered every year; that we do a better job of creating picturesqueentrances and encouraging conservation easements along the park boundariesto protect the wildlife and the magnificent views. And I hope there are more privatecontributions and federal dollars to protect and maintain one of the dozen most visitedplaces in the world.India has its Taj Mahal, Italy has its art, England its history, but we have the GreatAmerican Outdoors. Ken Burns says our national parks are ‘America’s Best Idea.’ Well,then the Great Smokies must be the very best idea of all because so many more peoplecome here.Dolly performing her closing song.75th Anniversary CoordinatorAnn Froschauer with DollyParton.Jack WilliamsJust as remarkable, I believe, is how we who live here feel about the park. We feel likewe own it because our families did. We love it because we grew up hiking here oradopted it as home. And we are proud we gave this park to the country for others toenjoy.The psalmist wrote, ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.’ There are 151 cemeteries inthe Great Smokies, usually on a hilltop, closer to God. The headstones face eastbecause, as mountaineers will tell you, ‘You don’t want to have your back to Jesuswhen he comes again.’There was a reverential feeling among the thousands who came to Cades Cove on abeautiful Sunday afternoon in June to hear fiddles imitate bagpipes as the KnoxvilleSymphony played ‘Amazing Grace.’ At the 50th anniversary, I tried to explain that feelingthis way: ‘These mountains . . . Blount County . . . my home . . . are where I enjoybeing, where I swap people for nature and feel closer to God . . . when I am here, ithelps get the rest of my life in a little better order.’That is why I celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains NationalPark.”Elder Jerry Wolfe performing a Cherokee blessing.3

FARRAGUT HIGH SCHOOL FORMS FIRST-EVERFRIENDS OF SMOKIES STUDENT CLUBBy Becky EddyJust beyond the foothills of the Great Smoky MountainsNational Park in West Knoxville, Tennessee, is the Town ofFarragut. Just a short 50 - 60 minute drive and you’re entering thebeautiful Smoky Mountains. This was the drive that several studentsof Farragut High School made for the June 6 th National TrailsDay. These students were members of a new club at Farragut High,the Farragut High School Friends of the Smokies Club.The Farragut High School Friends of the Smokies Club wasfounded by Samuel Eddy, currently a senior, during his junior yearat Farragut High. Sam said, “I wanted to find a way to serve thecommunity and do what I love, being outdoors, especially somethingfor the Great Smoky Mountains.” Mr. Michael Knapp, aFarragut High School science teacher, is the sponsor for the newclub. Mr. Knapp said he was interested in helping because heloves the Smoky Mountains and has hiked there since he was akid. Mr. Knapp believes “upcoming generations will have to fightto keep the park healthy in the same way that earlier generationsso vigorously fought to get the park established.”The club has around 40 members now and has helped Friendsof the Smokies with the Spring Wildlife Pilgrimage, Earth Day,National Trails Day, and the Friends Across the Mountainstelethon. Ryan Stinton, a Farragut High club member, recallshelping on June 6th National Trails Day. The club members leftFarragut around 6:30 a.m., traveled to the Smoky Mountains, mettheir crew leader, Randy Puckett, a teacher from Maryville,Tennessee, and then traveled up to work on a trail near Clingman’sDome. Ryan said, “After a scenic hike with stunning views, wearrived to our work destination. Randy showed us exactly whatneeded to be done, and after a few hours of laborious work, weenjoyed the beautiful hike back. It felt gratifying getting out andworking on the trail.” Ethan Farinella has helped in several activitiessince the club started, including the Friends Across theMountains annual telethon. Ethan said, “The telethon was a greatexperience for me because I enjoy helping the community. Also,it is of paramount importance that society raise funds to protect alocal ecosystem, which is exactly what happened at this beneficialfundraiser.”In addition to volunteer work, the club asks its school membersto voluntarily join the Friends of the Smokies as a way to financiallycontribute to Friends of the Smokies. This year the schoolhas contributed around $400. The club expects donations toincrease as club membership increases over time.Sam plans to turn-over the club to good hands in the spring sothat the club will carry-on for years to come. Sam hopes otherhigh schools all around the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee andNorth Carolina will follow his lead and organize to help raisemoney and donate time for Friends of the Smokies and the GreatSmoky Mountains National Park.Robyn PeckJack WilliamsMembers of the Farragut High School Friends of the Smokies Club with Smokies Superintendent Dale Ditmanson at WBIR Studios prior to the start of the 2009Friends Across the Mountains Telethon. Club representatives volunteered to answer phones during the broadcast.Robert A. Tino’s commissioned printsof Mt. LeConte are available nowat www.lecontelodge.comor by calling865-429-5704.6

THE RAINTHAT WOULDN’T QUITBy Holly ScottIn September, members of theall-volunteer AppalachianTrail Maintainers crew headeddown the A.T. toward the Mt.Collins backcountry shelter toperform their annual weeklongsacrifice of time andlabor. This was to be their11 th shelter remodeling projectalong the AppalachianTrail in the Smokies, and itmay have been their mostdifficult. With most folkstaking off work to donatetheir skills every year, timeis always of the essence forthe crew, but the rain onlyabated for six hours duringThe Richard Haiman National Parks Foundation generouslycontributed $10,000 to the remodeling of the Mt. Collins shelter,bringing the total that they have given for A.T. shelterrenovations to $113,300! We thank the board of the HaimanFoundation for their commitment to improving the A.T. sheltersin the Smokies for the thousands of hikers who rely onthem for overnight lodging and comfort each year.the entire week, making it all but impossible to get anything accomplished.Nevertheless, the volunteers worked steadily to remove the deteriorating materialsand prepare the shelter for renovation, getting as much done as they couldamidst the driving rain, heavy winds, and falling temperatures. At the week’send, the team members committed to completing the project over several subsequentweekends. Friends of the Smokies extends sincere thanks for the efforts ofBill Clabough, Mike Crabill, Eddie Cook, Terry Elmore, James Fondren, PhyllisHenry, Tom Howard, Dick Ketelle, Mac McNutt, Jim Mowbray, Steve Reagan,Ed Peck, Paul Ruble, Philip Royer, Stewart Taylor, Jerry Troxler, and WayneWilliams.– SAVE THE DATE –2010 Evergreen Ball will be January 30thCome be a part of the 2010 Evergreen Balland our first-ever Legacy Award presentationto Tennessee Supreme Court Justiceand founding Friends of the Smokiesboard member, Honorable Gary R. Wade.This annual black-tie dinner, dance, andlive & silent auction will be at CherokeeCountry Club, and is presented throughthe generosity of our sponsors ScrippsNetworks, Home Federal Bank,Citizens National Bank, Haslam FamilyFoundation, Jim & Natalie Haslam,Pilot, Riverside Towers of PigeonForge, Charlie & Moll Anderson, Bill& Ginger Baxter, Charles Blalock &Sons, Clayton Homes, KnoxvilleNews Sentinel, Regal Entertainment Group, TheWilliam B. Stokely, Jr. Foundation, Clayton Bank & Trust, HolrobInvestments, Kramer Rayson LLP , and Martin & Company. Invitationswill be hitting mailboxes in the near future; please call KathrynRobertson at (800) 845-5665 to be placed on our mailing list.Wayne WilliamsClingman’s Dome LevelLyndhurst FoundationMt. Cammerer LevelAAA of East TennesseeHarrah’s Cherokee CasinoJean Ogle/TAO EnterprisesCity of GatlinburgCity of Pigeon ForgeCity of SeviervilleSevier CountySmoky Mountain Convention &Visitors BureauState of North CarolinaDepartment of CommerceTennessee Department ofTourist DevelopmentMt. LeConte LevelRobert A. Tino Gallery, Inc.Jan & Judy MortonLinda OgleChimney Tops LevelBaker, Donelson, Bearman,Caldwell, & Berkowitz, PCHard Rock Café GatlinburgDanny & Liz KingKnoxville Garden ClubTanger Outlet Center atFive OaksGreg A. VitalCataloochee Valley LevelCataloochee ReunionClayton Bank & TrustCliff Dwellers GalleryCovenant HealthCarl FalkHome Federal BankKnoxville Garden ClubNewfound Gap LevelMr. & Mrs. William Y. CarrollCocke County PartnershipPete and Cindi DeBuskMr. & Mrs. Dale DitmansonMr. & Mrs. Bobby ElyExperience Your SmokiesBlount CountyMr. & Mrs. Chuck HendricsKnox CountyMast General StorePigeon Forge Primary SchoolMr. & Mrs. Clayton SharpMr. & Mrs. Geoff WolpertOld Mill SquarePigeon Forge Department ofTourismPigeon River RestaurantAssociatesCades Cove LevelApple Valley Comfort InnClarion Inn Willow RiverCountry Tonite TheatreGreystone Lodge at theAquariumTeresa PenningtonThank YouFriends of the Smokies wishes to thank these businessesand individuals for their generous contributions to our75 th Anniversary celebration this year.A Special Thanks to Our 75 th Anniversary AmbassadorDolly Parton and all the folks at Dollywood!3099 Winfield Dunn Parkway,Suite 2 • PO Box 1660Kodak, TN 37764(865) 932-4794www.friendsofthesmokies.orgSugarlands LevelByron & Paula BegleyBurchfiel-Kile EnterprisesDr. & Mrs. Henry Callaway, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Sam H. CurtisGraham County NC Travel &Tourism AuthorityGreat Smoky MountainsHeritage CenterHaywood County NC TourismDevelopment AuthorityMr. and Mrs. Charles MaynardPinnacle Performance PartnersSmoky Mountain MarketingGroupTown of Bryson CityFriends of the Smokieswould also like to thankthe following businesses fortheir gift-in-kind advertising& service support throughoutthe 2009 75 th Anniversarycelebration of GreatSmoky MountainsNational Park:BDS InfofastRuth Barber & Keith WatsonBlue Smoke CoffeeDavis, Newman, PayneGreat Smoky MountainsAssociationKen JenkinsKnoxville News SentinelBill May Studiospinpoint HD MediaSignmasterTennessee Smokies BaseballTennessee Valley FairWBIR-TV Channel 10WDVX RadioFriends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an independent501(c)(3) non-profit organization which assists the National ParkService in its mission to preserve and protect Great Smoky MountainsNational Park by raising funds and public awareness and providingvolunteers for needed projects. Since its founding in 1993 by a groupof concerned citizens, Friends of the Smokies has raised almost $26million in support of Park needs.HOLIDAYSHOPPING IDEAS!1. Sport your support for Friends of the Smokieswith great-looking Trails Forever merchandisehttp://www.smokiestrailsforeverstore.com2. Sanctuary by Greg Johnson benefits Friends ofthe Smokies. “In celebration of the 75thanniversary of the Great Smoky MountainsNational Park, Greg Johnson takes readers tothe high points of the Smokies - from Mt.Cammerer to Mt. LeConte to Gregory Bald -and some of his favorite places in between.”(Source: Amazon.com)3. Eighty years after his death, Horace Kephart’snovel Smoky Mountain Magic is available forpurchase at www.smokiesstore.org7

Sam HobbsPost Office Box 1660Kodak, Tennessee37864-5650ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDMore For You Online!Our 2008 Annual Report is now availablefor viewing and printing on our website.Go to http://www.frendsofthesmokies.org/pdf/2008AnnualReport.pdf. If you prefer apaper copy, please call Holly Scott at(800) 845-5665.NETWORK WITHYOUR FRIENDS!PARK SUPPORT TOPS $1 MILLION FOR THE 5TH STRAIGHT YEAR!Friends of the Smokies is proud to have fulfilled its commitment to Great SmokyMountains National Park by providing $1,045,990 for park education programs,backcountry and trail maintenance improvements, protection of natural resources like theeastern hemlock trees, and support for the 75th Anniversary celebration.The board of directors of Great Smoky Mountains National Park just approved the park’sNeeds List for 2010, and our goal for next year is to provide $1,420,300. Your continuedsupport will help us reach that goal! View the 2010 Needs List online atwww.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org.Sam HobbsTo stay up-to-date with the latestpark & Friends happenings, becomea fan on Facebook, or follow us onTwitter!Find our Facebook page under“Friends of Great Smoky MountainsNational Park”.Follow “SmokiesFriends” on Twitter!Special thanks to Sam Hobbs for the photos used in the design of this publication.