| Pigeon
Forge, TN – July 2010 – Pigeon Forge has pegged Jan. 8-15, 2011,
for Wilderness Wildlife Week, the resort community’s annual salute to Great
Smoky Mountains National Park and many outdoor-oriented topics.
New for 2011 is an all-day
concentration on outdoor photography called “The Smokies Through the Lens”
on Jan. 15. Several seminars aimed at all skill levels are planned, and
topics will include equipment, shooting techniques and editing. Other photography
instruction classes and numerous photo showcases will occur throughout
the week.
Other special programming
includes
-
AppalachiaFest – A musical
celebration of mountain music and dancing (audience participation encouraged)
featuring several bands on Jan. 11
-
Cade Cove Memories – Five
special programs on Jan. 15 organized by the Cades Cove Preservation Association
that will focus on this popular portion of Great Smoky Mountains National
Park
 This
will be the 21st year for Wilderness Wildlife Week, an eight-day extravaganza
of seminars, workshops, photography classes, hikes and excursions. It is
a project of the City of Pigeon Forge, the largest of the national park’s
gateway communities, and is a major part of the four-month-long Pigeon
Forge Winterfest season.
More than 150 experts—nature
photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians and
just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies—donate their time to present
daily programs and a range of outdoor activities. There are more than 250
programs and activities.
Program topics vary daily,
and admission is free to all activities. Topics include bears in the Smokies,
the elk reintroduction project, the Smokies’ logging history, fire towers
in the Smokies, photography, trout fishing, fly-casting and birding by
ear. Several programs are designed especially for children.
Almost 50 hikes and excursions
– including a llama trek (pictured) – into the national park complement
the indoor programs. In 2010, hikers from 17 states participated in Wilderness
Wildlife Week hikes. Hiking records have been kept for eight years, and
the accumulated total mileage is 14,289.
“The week is extremely
flexible. You can come just for one program, for one day only or for the
whole week,” said Leon Downey of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.
“It’s a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.”
Wilderness Wildlife Week
began 20 years ago as a half-day program on a January Saturday and immediately
grew into a weeklong activity. It has been a Southeast Tourism Society
“Top 20 Event in the Southeast” 10 times.
Wilderness Wildlife Week
details are updated frequently at www.MyPigeonForge.com/wildlife.
Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is at www.MyPigeonForge.com
or by calling toll-free to 800-251-9100.
|
Contact:
Tom Adkinson
tadkinson@bohanideas.com
615-327-1189
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