The black bear license plate has had strong sales and has benefitted wildlife throughout the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this summer. The number of motorists sporting specialty Smokies license plates has been climbing impressively since the new plate design, sporting a black bear, was rolled out four years ago.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park brought in $102,900 from plate sales in the last quarter, an increase of more than seven percent over the same period of 2010, to help the park.

“The Smokies are a true refuge for black bears, brook trout, salamanders, elk, and thousands of other species,” said Dan Matthews, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Smokies and co-owner of The Swag Country Inn in Waynesville. “We are very glad for the opportunity to help protect these wild creatures and to have so much support from drivers all across North Carolina. They are the ones who make these important projects possible.” www.friendsofthesmokies.org or call 828.452.0720.