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Electronic Portal to Open Great Smoky Mountains National Park To Schools Next Month

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Published Date

October 22, 2009

An upcoming electronic field trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park will introduce students from across the country to the park's unique and rich ecosystem. During an earlier field trip, students learned how different types of soil and geology influence the various kinds of plants and animals that thrive throughout the Smokies. NPS photo.

Rangers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park hope to take millions of school children on an adventure into the park next month. And they'll do it with the flick of a switch on a video camera.

On November 3 the park is planning to host an Electronic Field Trip to bring school children from around the country into one of the richest ecosystems on Earth. The National Park Service, National Park Foundation, UPS Foundation, and Apple are teaming up to showcase the biodiversity of the park for students around the country via this live broadcast.

If all goes as planned, elementary and middle school students across the country will be able to interact with National Park rangers and local student hosts from North Carolina and Tennessee and learn about biodiversity and the wonders of the Smokies.

An interactive website, www.smokymountainseft.org, is now available for teachers and students to prepare for the electronic field trip through six learning modules with interactive games, video podcasts, and lesson plans. Schools can still register to participate in the broadcast through the website. Once schools have registered on the website, they can begin their adventure to Great Smoky Mountains National Park exploring the park's biodiversity of plants and animals. During the live broadcast, students can call in or e-mail their questions, and a bank of experts from the park will be available to answer them.

“All too often, people think that computers and technology are what’s keeping America’s youth from being outside,” said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “But we believe that technology can actually be used as a bridge to help inspire and connect the nation’s youth to their parks in a very meaningful way.”

The live 60-minute program will air via satellite, cable and webcast from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 3.

“The Smokies is home to more than 17,000 known species of plants and animals making it world renowned for its biological diversity,” said Great Smoky Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “Even so, new species are continually being discovered in this mountain wonderland. We’re excited that students around the country will learn about biodiversity, what it is, why they should care about it, and what they can do to protect it both in the Smokies and in their own backyards.”

Local students in 6th through 8th grades in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina auditioned to be the student talent who will work with rangers in the field during the broadcast to search for salamanders, sift through leaf litter, and turn over rocks in streams in order to showcase the biodiversity of the park for other students. The show will be based in and around the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Editor's note: Questions about registration and/or broadcasting should be addressed to: Carolyn Hill, [email protected].

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