About this time last year, I was asked to be involved with designing the first-ever conference for writers to be held within the boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The inaugural Tremont Writers Conference is the coordinated effort of two educational park partners: Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
As days lengthen and temperatures rise, black bears begin to move around in the woods searching for insects, nuts, and berries. They also look for food in the gateway communities outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In sync with bears’ emergence, Great Smoky Mountains Association has just released a new
I was perched one day on the stoop of my tiny apartment on the campus of Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont when an old woman walked up to me and said, “You’re sitting where my kitchen used to be.” I’ve had numerous encounters over the years with such individuals,
On a mid-September morning, 14 men and women gather at an abandoned quarry off US 441 a mile or so south of Sugarlands and confront a vertical stone wall that looms 15 feet above them. The sheer rock face culminates in a gently sloping bench that extends 30 feet before
In 2023, GSMA celebrates its 70th year of continuous operations supporting Great Smoky Mountains National Park—a major milestone that has us looking back to chart the evolution of the organization and the work it has accomplished over that time. An interview with the late Terry Maddox along with Steve Kemp and
Doug Tallamy had been teaching at the University of Delaware for a quarter of a century when he had an epiphany: People who want to do something good for the planet have the ability to effect change immediately by choosing plants that share their energy with other beings, as opposed
I never imagined a pumpkin might mean the difference between life and death. The only time I’ve ever paid the slightest attention to the large, lopsided orange fruit is during jack-o’-lantern and pumpkin pie season. Then I met Robin Goddard during my stint as the 2022 Steve Kemp Writer-in-Residence and
Tasked with a mission to preserve our country’s most spectacular places unimpaired for this and future generations, the National Park Service stresses a simple ethos: Take only photos, leave only footprints. As tempting as it might be to take home that lovely wildflower or a box of smooth river stones,
When I got a text from Elizabeth Ellison on the morning of February 9 that George was in the hospital and struggling, I was actually in the Smokies that he loved — and we were having some very strange weather. The wind that morning was so fierce I nearly blew
As the weather warms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the fragrant aroma of spring wildflowers fills the air. Northern cardinals sing in short bursts from the canopy, and robins flutter through the underbrush, calling out in search of a mate. Among the blooms, the distinct drone of insects joins
About this time last year, I was asked to be involved with designing the first-ever conference for writers to be held within the boundary of
As days lengthen and temperatures rise, black bears begin to move around in the woods searching for insects, nuts, and berries. They also look for
I was perched one day on the stoop of my tiny apartment on the campus of Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont when an old
On a mid-September morning, 14 men and women gather at an abandoned quarry off US 441 a mile or so south of Sugarlands and confront
In 2023, GSMA celebrates its 70th year of continuous operations supporting Great Smoky Mountains National Park—a major milestone that has us looking back to chart
Doug Tallamy had been teaching at the University of Delaware for a quarter of a century when he had an epiphany: People who want to
I never imagined a pumpkin might mean the difference between life and death. The only time I’ve ever paid the slightest attention to the large,
Tasked with a mission to preserve our country’s most spectacular places unimpaired for this and future generations, the National Park Service stresses a simple ethos:
When I got a text from Elizabeth Ellison on the morning of February 9 that George was in the hospital and struggling, I was actually
As the weather warms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the fragrant aroma of spring wildflowers fills the air. Northern cardinals sing in short bursts
is a proud partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the National Park Service
is a proud partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the National Park Service
