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Morgan Simmons

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the top national park in the U.S. for visitor spending. In 2010 the park's 9 million visitors spent more than $818 million in neighboring communities

Study: National parks boost local economies by $12 billion

Morgan Simmons The Knoxville News Sentinel

Last updated Friday, January 27, 2012 - 3:02pm

A new study by Michigan State University shows that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the top national park in the U.S. for visitor spending.

The "Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll" estimates that in 2010 the park's 9 million visitors spent more than $818 million in neighboring communities -- double the $415 million generated by Grand Canyon National Park, the second-ranked park in the study.

Business, Economy, National Parks, Spending, Tourism Read more Comments

Great Smokies elk herd adapts, learns to fend off predators

Morgan Simmons, Scripps Howard News Service

Last updated Saturday, June 18, 2011 - 4:26pm

When Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials began introducing elk a decade ago, biologists thought coyotes would be the herd's main predator.

But with every calving season, black bears proved to be a bigger problem.

In 2005, the park documented the first cases of black bears searching the fields of Cataloochee Valley to prey on newborn elk. The problem got so bad that from 2006 through 2008, wildlife officials trapped bears that were active in Cataloochee and released them at the west end of the Smokies -- far enough so that by the time the bears made their way back to their home range, the elk calves were old enough to fend for themselves.

Outdoors, Elk, Outdoor Recreation, Sports Read more Comments

Eastern cougar formally declared extinct

Morgan Simmons, Scripps Howard News Service

Last updated Monday, March 14, 2011 - 3:23pm

For decades, many have believed the eastern cougar to be extinct. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made it official.

During a recent study, the agency found no evidence to support the existence of the eastern cougar, a subspecies that once roamed from Maine to Georgia and parts of the Midwest. As a result, the agency will recommend the eastern cougar be removed from the endangered species list, where it has been listed since 1973.

The decision does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another subspecies of cougar that's listed as endangered.

Outdoors, Outdoor Recreation, Sports, Wildlife, Hunting Read more Comments