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Tag: Smokies LIVE
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Mountain Time: The Jewel of the Smokies
Story and images by Arthur “Butch” McDade
Mount Le Conte may not be the highest peak in the Smokies, but its impressive hulk looms over the Tennessee side of the national park. Here’s what writers Ken Wise and Ron Petersen say in A Natural History of Mount Le Conte: “Mount Le Conte is the crown jewel of the Great Smoky
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The Smokies in Your Backyard: Sourwood and Redbud
By Steve Kemp and Janet Rock
Since early spring is an acceptable time to plant trees, we continue this Smokies LIVE column with some trees native to the Great Smoky Mountains that should thrive around your home if you reside in the Southeast, central Appalachians, and parts of the Midwest. Remember to procure them from a reputable
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Wildflowers 101: Late Winter Wonders
Story and photos by Tom Harrington
Searching for, finding, and identifying wildflowers in the Great Smoky Mountains enables one to expand their horizons and add new chapters to their national park experience through beauty and an enjoyable, healthy activity.
Trailing arbutus
When you hear the word spring, you may associate
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Looking at Birds Through an Artist’s Eye
Story and artwork by Gaynell Lawson
Heron in Search of Fish by Gaynell Lawson
Birds fascinate me. They always have. I enjoy watching them wherever I’m fortunate enough to spot them—in our streams, in the Great Smoky Mountains, or even in my own backyard. I’ve found that if I provide the right feeder,
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GSMA publishes educational adventure to teach young readers about wildlife crossings
GSMA is pleased to announce the publication of A Search for Safe Passage, an educational adventure for readers ages seven to 13 written by Creative Services Director Frances Figart and illustrated by GSMA Publications Specialist Emma DuFort.
A Search for Safe Passage tells the story of best friends Bear and Deer who grew up together on the
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Award-winning Writer Makes Great Smokies Her Park
by Frances Figart, Creative Services Director
In the spring of 2019, Latria (pronounced La-tray-a) Graham was chosen to be one of the first Steve Kemp writers-in-residence, spending six weeks learning and writing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The residency—funded by Great Smoky Mountains Association and named for its 30-year
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Image for the Asking: Carter Shields Cabin
Story and image by Don McGowan
The census records for the year 1850 tell us that Cades Cove—that most idyllic valley in Blount County, Tennessee, in what is now the southwestern corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park—was populated with 135 families accounting for 625 hearty souls. Six years earlier, on February 5, 1844, the
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Trailside Talk: Mission 66
By Mike Hembree
A happy coincidence in the 1950s led to change for the national park system.
The Baby Boom of the post-World War II period increased the population of children in the United States dramatically. At the same time, the country was becoming increasingly mobile. Many veterans returning from the military had the money to buy their
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Biological Science Technician Reflects on Career Choices
By Frances Figart, Creative Services Director
Alix Pfennigwerth maps and surveys wetlands and collects data from forest monitoring plots as a biological science technician with the Inventory and Monitoring program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy of Matt Jernigan.
Alix Pfennigwerth works as a biological
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Smokies Entomologist Reflects on Role of Women in Science
Entomologist Becky Nichols determines the peak display period for the famous synchronous fireflies of the Smokies. Photo courtesy of Joye Ardyn Durham.
By Frances Figart, Creative Services Director
When Becky Nichols was in graduate school there weren’t many women studying to become entomologists. Over the years, she
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