<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 488
By Faison
HJR0488
006064
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A RESOLUTION to recognize and honor the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
WHEREAS, Tennessee is proud to be home to the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, which spans across the border into North Carolina to include 522,427 acres of pristine
landscape in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains; and
WHEREAS, replete with breathtaking mountain peaks, sprawling lush green forests,
gorgeous cascading waterfalls, scenic trails, hikes, drives, and so much more, the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park is one of the most celebrated parks in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the park boasts many fascinating fauna, including black bear, white-tailed
deer, elk, chipmunk, nineteen firefly species, over 200 species of birds, and more than thirty
species of salamander, earning the park the designation of "salamander capital of the world";
and
WHEREAS, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park employs approximately 200
permanent staff and 140 seasonal workers and engages more than 2,000 volunteers annually;
the park further supports 33,748 jobs in the surrounding communities and has a total economic
impact of over $2.2 billion annually; and
WHEREAS, with thirteen million recreational visits in 2023 alone, the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the country, with visitation totaling
more than that of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Canyon national parks combined; and
WHEREAS, the park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October
26, 1976, and a World Heritage Site on December 6, 1983; and
WHEREAS, although its grandeur and environmental, economic, and cultural
importance are now quite evident, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park might not exist,
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had it not been for the efforts of conscientious, prescient Tennesseans of the early twentieth
century; and
WHEREAS, after a failed attempt by the North Carolina legislature to preserve the
Smoky Mountain area in the 1890s, Tennesseans David Chapman, Ann Davis, Ben Morton, and
Paul Fink took up the mantle of preservation in the 1920s; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1920s, the legislatures of Tennessee and North Carolina
appropriated $2 million each for land purchases, with Tennessee passing Senate Bill 781 in
1927 to allocate its funding for the endeavor; and
WHEREAS, additional money was raised by individuals, private groups, and even school
children, who pledged their pennies, and by 1928, a total of $5 million had been raised; the
Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund matched this amount, resulting in a total of $10
million and assuring the purchase of the remaining land; and
WHEREAS, as a result of these efforts, and with official dedication as a National Park by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, Tennesseans, North Carolinians, and visitors from the
world over continue to enjoy the verdant haven that is the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park; and
WHEREAS, the park is an enduring symbol of the rich history of our State, and it is most
fitting that we pause to reflect on its important legacy and continued impact at this time; now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we recognize and honor the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a true
Tennessee treasure and a gift from our forebears that we will continue to protect and cherish.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
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the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.