Unesco Paper

The park itself covers nearly 800 square miles. There is not an area of the same size that can match the diversity of plants and animals.

There are nearly 18,000 species that have been found in the parks area. Scientists believe that there is an additional 20,000 to 80,000 species that possibly live in the area. They believe that there is so much diversity because of the mountains, glaciers and the weather of the area. There are close to 100 species of trees that grow in the area.

That's more than any Northern state park. Nearly ninety five percent of the park is covered in forest.There is over 1,500 plant species that scientists have found in the park. It is also the epicenter for lung less salamanders and houses more than two hundred types of birds, sixty six types of land animals, 67 different types of fish, 39 types of reptiles, and 43 different families of amphibians. There are also mushrooms, mollusks and millipedes that have reached records in diversity.

The parks elevation ranges from 875 to nearly 7 thousand feet. This range in altitude is in close relation to the altitude that you might see if you were driving from Florida to the tip of Maine.The animals that you might find in the south of Georgia can be found in the lowlands of the Smokey Mountains and the species common in the north can be found in higher elevated areas. There are several places on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Heritage Center is an awesome place to learn about the history of the area.

It is one of the many ways that the history of the area is being preserved. At the Heritage Center a person can see artifacts that go all the back to 3000 B. C. There is also plenty of Native American artifacts like pottery, weapons that the nativeAmericans used to hunt with, clothing, houses and masks that represent the 7 different clans of the Cherokee Indians. By visiting the heritage center one can learn all about the Native American life in the Smokiest and the area's early settlers and how they lived.

There are 3-D displays and also exhibits that one can interact with. There is also a historic village that has log cabins, churches and a school house. The center is about three froth's of a mile from the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains.There are two indoor museums and a theater that can seat 500 where hey do plays and give lectures about the history of the area. Townsend, where the Heritage Center is located, is an extension of a place called Deathwatches Cove.

Deathwatches cove is a valley on the edge of the Smokiest. The place got it's name from the early native Americans. It meaner peaceful, green place. Deathwatches cove, similar to Cedes Cove, formed many, many years ago by the slide of slate and sandstone onto limestone. AS the years passed erosion and weather gave way to the "windows in the mountain", as the natives liked to call them.

So it is illogic movement that can be thanked for the beauty of the area that visitors get to see and for the ever growing wildlife. Deathwatches Cove is a very unique place where the Little River flows from the mountain and into a peaceful little community. The natural setting has been home to humans for centuries. Even recently archeologist found proof that Native Americans had built lives in the area as far back as 10,000 years. The little river is clean, cold and always clear and can be seen Tooling tongue ten Dodder AT lowlands. In ten 1 a railroad ran tongue tenSmokiest.

This railroad brought the tourists in, but unfortunately took a mass amount of trees out. The little river railroad and lumber company, now museum, gives the story of the area's logging past with photos and restored equipment. There is also an old train that is open for viewing. All of these sites, while somewhat intrusive, help keep the Smokiest as natural, and timely as possible.

There are many open fields, hidden forests, farms and streams in the surrounding area. Geese, ducks, bright colored warblers and other birds fly to this area during the mummer.The heron swim down the little river. There is also an abundance of wildflowers to be found in the Great Smoky Mountains. Generally from February to October something is always in bloom.

Azaleas, mountain laurels and rhododendron grow wild throughout the park. There is a place in the mountains called Cedes Cove. There is a road now that circles through the area, a ten mile loop. There are old churches and home settlements throughout the area as well, but the animals seem to have grown accustomed to the traffic that travels through the area.This can be harmful if the animals migrate or leave the area where they are protected. No one is allowed to feed or disturb the wildlife or plant life in the area.

There is no hunting or fishing allowed either. Smokey mountain state park is one of the biggest, federally protected parks on the east side of the Mississippi river. There are deposit boxes positioned throughout the park as well where visitors can drop money to help with funding of the park and general upkeep like mending fences and so on. A person could volunteer to work for the park at the tourist shops or as a park anger.

They can also give money to the organization that protects the area. The best way to preserve the place would be to restore the health of the culture and natural resources by stepping up and keeping serious threats out of the area. Also reinvesting in the park itself by setting up more areas for public funding and taking some of the money that businesses in places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge make and putting back out into the community and surrounding areas. Also having more staff around the areas would also keep down on intrusion and help preserve the area.My partner and I visited the area a few days ago so that I could take in more of the area that I was going to be discussing and I noticed that a lot of the donation boxes in the area were missing, but that there more rangers patrolling the area. I believe that also Just by visitors doing their research would ensure that the park stays the same.

I believe that the preservation of the park itself is something that everyone in the area should be concerned with. We can't make new parks. Instead we all need to work together to make a difference and to keep the area beautiful.