This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

Nearly one month into the federal government shutdown, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains open to the public, and the National Forest Service’s logging and disaster response capabilities remain active. 

As the federal government shutdown drags into its second week, Western North Carolina has so far escaped major impacts — but that could change quickly. Some federal agencies have curtailed operations, some public lands have opened and closed in cycles and some regional offices are bracing for deeper impacts if the impasse lingers. 

The field for one of North Carolina’s most closely watched congressional races grew again this week with the entry of Dr. Richard Hudspeth, a physician with deep ties to the region who says his experience caring for mountain families gives him a unique perspective on what Chuck Edwards has failed to deliver.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking individuals to join the Elk Rover volunteer team for the upcoming 2025 season. Elk Rovers share information with visitors about safe wildlife viewing and help keep elk and visitors safe. Elk Rovers will be stationed at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Volunteer duties include: 

• Standing and walking for extended periods. 
• Assisting with traffic management along US 441/Newfound Gap Road. 
• Assisting and guiding visitors. 
• Educating visitors about wildlife safety and etiquette. 
• Answering general questions about the park.

Interested volunteers should commit to one, four-hour afternoon shift per week on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday starting in July and continuing through mid-November. 

All new Elk Rovers are required to attend a mandatory in-person training session in July. Additionally, volunteers will have the opportunity to learn alongside a dedicated team of experienced rovers and park rangers who will provide on-the-job training.

Learn more at nps.gov/grsm/getinvolved/volunteer.htm.

To the Editor:

In compliance with Executive Order 14253, an official sign has now been posted in the Oconaluftee Visitors Center of our beloved (and already beleaguered) Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and, I presume, at all of the hundreds of other sites overseen by the National Park Service.

Every year, millions of people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park to experience its clear mountain streams, verdant views, and diverse forms of natural beauty. The mountains exert a powerful spell — but too often, that spell is broken by the sight of plastic bottles and candy wrappers scattered beside trailheads and overlooks, fast food bags and old tires flung along roadsides and plastic bags or balloons hung in treetops. 

To the Editor:

The Smoky Mountain News has done a great disservice to the American people with the headline “America’s Worst Idea” (SMN, Feb. 28 edition). 

Often called “America’s best idea,” the National Park System founded more than a century ago has given generations of visitors from across the country and the world a unique opportunity to come together amid the bountiful natural beauty and historical dignity this nation has to offer.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has earned this one for its decision to begin charging for parking, effective March 1 this year. 

The National Park Service issued a decision and a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Gatlinburg Spur Improvements Environmental Assessment.