The purpose of Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) is to help the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...
. Through sales, labor, donations, and volunteer efforts, GSMA provides the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
with additional tools for fulfilling its mission.
Great Smoky Mountains Association is a nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to support the Park's educational, scientific, and historical programs. Its mission is to enhance public enjoyment and understanding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
To accomplish this goal, GSMA participates in a variety of activities that include: distribution and publication of educational books and guides, funding
visitor center
A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors.
Types of visitor center
A visi ...
exhibits and artifact collections, sponsoring free historic demonstrations and festivals, funding the Park's library, and helping to fund the environmental education program at the Institute at
Tremont. Since its creation in March 1953, GSMA has contributed over $30 million in aid to the Park, including the $3,000,000 in construction costs for the
Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Oconaluftee Archeological District is within the eponymous river valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Formerly a historic Cherokee village, followed by an Appalachian community, were ...
, opened in April 2011.
See also
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Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 1,500 different species of flowering plants--more than any other North America, North American National park, National Park, earning it the nickname of the "Wildflower National Park". Every s ...
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Cassius Cash
Cassius Cash (born December 10, 1968) is currently serving as the 16th superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompassing the eponymous mountain range in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
He is the former superintendent ...
External links
Great Smoky Mountains Association Home Page Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Environmental organizations based in the United States
Environmental organizations based in Tennessee