Saturday evening’s festivities for Wilderness Wildlife Week included the opening comments from Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The Friends organization supports the park by contributing volunteer labor and funds for projects in the park. GSMA supports the park by providing funding for many of the park staff positions that would otherwise go unfunded, such as seasonal education and interpretive positions. Both organizations are supported by membership and donations. The Friends organization also raises money at the Evergreen Ball. The GMSA also raised money from sales at the stores located at the park information centers as area visitor’s centers in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.
The evening eased into a photo presentation by Ken Jenkins, the visionary of Wilderness Wildlife Week, called Labor of Love: 30 years with Wildlife. Ken presented his photos from all across America from his home in the Smokies to the Pacific Northwest to Denali National Park. Ken captures the antics of bears, elk, marmots and most of the rest of nature like no other.
The evening concluded with a photo presentation by Don McGowan called Introduction to the Beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains through music and slides.
I only wish I could include some of the photos presented at the photo presentations this week.