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Here's all the latest news and happenings from the Friends of South Cumberland State Park!
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October, 2018

GET OUTDOORS ... THE PARK IS YOURS!


October Hikes & Programs
All ranger-led hikes and programs are now listed on the Tennessee State Parks website.

Please bookmark that page to get info about all the latest ranger-led hikes and programs!


 
Sunday, September 30th is your last chance to reserve seats for the 2018 Goldenrod Gala — a “night out for Nature” and an important fundraiser for the Friends of South Cumberland State Park — taking place at 6 pm on Saturday evening, October 6th at The Caverns music performance venue in nearby Pelham! 

And ... if you won't be able to join us,
Thursday, October 4th is your final opportunity to make an early online bid on any of the twelve Adventure Auction items -- a dozen opportunities to experience unique places in and around South Cumberland State Park!
 
The evening will feature artisan-crafted cocktails, beers and wines from Prichard's Distillery, Chattanooga Brewing Company, and the Monteagle Inn; a fabulous catered dinner from Ivy Wild Catering; and after-dinner live music and dancing to the Grammy-nominated WannaBeatles in the dramatic new performance hall at The Caverns, which is also the new home of the popular PBS television series Bluegrass Underground.
 
A limited number of tables and individual seats are still available, and may be reserved online at GoldenrodGala.org.  Proceeds from the Goldenrod Gala support a wide range of Friends’ initiatives on behalf of South Cumberland State Park.  Please join us for a great evening of camaraderie, cuisine and celebration as we raise money for a great cause!
 

 
Trail Friends Still Needed!
Do you enjoy the great outdoors? Well, there's still time to sign up as a Trail Friend in time for the fall hiking season. Trail Friends will be found at several of the busiest trail heads in the park on weekends this fall -- offering advice, hiking tips and directions. To learn more, and to volunteer, visit the Trail Friends page of the Friends of South Cumberland website.
 


SCSP's Newest Rangers Head to School

                      
Our three newest SCSP Rangers will spend much of the fall in training, according to Park Manager George Shinn.  Rangers Dan Wescoat, Mark Greenwood and Ryan Harris (left to right, above) have recently completed three weeks of state-park-specific ranger training at Henry Horton State Park, location of the Chief Ranger Program. On Sept. 30, they are headed to the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Donelson. During the 12-week academy program they learn law, police procedures, driving, shooting, defensive tactics and criminology, among other things. Visit the Meet the Rangers page of the Friends website to learn more about your Park's newest Rangers.  We're looking forward to having them back in the Park, and back in action, early next year!
 
  
TN State Parks Receive
National Accreditation

Tennessee State Parks has been named one of only two state park systems in the country to receive accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The announcement was made at the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference in Indianapolis on September 25th.

“Achieving this independent accreditation means Tennessee State Parks meets national standards of best practice,” said Brock Hill, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “It also acknowledges that visitors can expect the best in terms of recreation, programming and amenities when they visit our state parks.”

Accreditation scoring is based on the adoption of efficient and effective processes, such as having an environmental sustainability policy that includes protections for natural resources; soliciting employee and visitor feedback on park management plans; proper utilization of volunteers; and the availability of high-quality programming to all visitors, including historically underserved populations.
 


Scene Around the Park
 

Meet the Tennessee Naturalist Program's South Cumberland Class of 2019!
The program began its 7th year on September 8th as part of the Friends' Education and Outreach initiative, and is being ably led by Todd Wright, with help from Ken Beerman, this year.
Photo: Todd Wright
 

 
Volunteers: State requests Liability Release forms

Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation need your help!  Before you volunteer for your next activity in the Park, TNSP and TDEC urgently request that you download and complete a Volunteer Liability Release FormYou will only need to do this once; the Friends, and the Park, will keep it on file for as long as you are an active volunteer.   Thank you for your support of the Park!

IF YOU'RE A FIRST-TIME VOLUNTEER, when you go to the Volunteer Sign Up Form on the Friends' website, the Volunteer Liability Release is included in your first sign-up.

 

 
PictureShop and support the Park
at the same time!
 
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates a portion of your purchase directly to the Friends of South Cumberland State Park. Click the logo below to begin, and bookmark that page as your Amazon starting point in order to designate the Friends as your preferred recipient!
 


The Friends are now on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter!
 
Be among the first to follow us and share your adventures in the Park
on these new Friends of South Cumberland pages:

 

 

Join or renew your Friends membership today!

Now it’s easier than every to join or renew your Friends membership online!  Just visit the Membership page of the Friends website.  If you’re renewing, there will be a link on that page for current Friends members to use.  If you’re a current member and follow that link, it will ask you to enter your email and password to log into the Member Services area of the website.  If you have not yet set up your password, enter the email address you believe we have on file for you, and then click the “forgot password” link, which will allow you to set up a password to access your info in our system.  Once you’re set up, it will be much easier to do future membership renewals; register for Friends’ events; make gifts or donations; and any other kind of transaction you’d like to make in support of the Park!
 

Add our new address to your Contact list!

The Friends now offer online Member Services functions (click here to learn more)!  Please add FriendsOfSouthCumberland@gmail.com to your device’s contacts or address book.  This email address is the official address for communications from the Friends (including TrailTracker!), so please add it to your contacts to be sure important messages from us aren’t landing in your junk mail folder by accident.
 

Why should you join and support the Friends?

Now protecting more than 30,000 acres, South Cumberland is the largest State Park in Tennessee. Although this is great news, more land, and more visitors, creates new and urgent unmet needs for the park. New trails must be built, and existing trails must be maintained or upgraded. New and expanded parking areas, restrooms, camping and picnic facilities, and directional signage are needed. Invasive pests, like the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, and invasive plants must be controlled. Guided hikes, seminars and historical re-enactments, including programs for area school children, must be prepared and delivered. And, the work of conserving additional environmentally-significant lands is far from complete.  By becoming a member of the Friends, you can help insure that South Cumberland will always be a safe, well-maintained and amazing place to experience world-class natural beauty!

Q&A:  HOW TO SET YOUR FRIENDS MEMBER SERVICES PASSWORD IF THE EMAIL YOU RECEIVED SAYS “LINK IS EXPIRED”

Q: The email I received from the Friends has a link to activate membership accounts and set up a password.  However, when I clicked the link the message came back that the link is expired.  What should I do?

A: The link has a "time out" on it for security reasons; if it's not opened within a couple of hours after you receive the email, it "expires".  However, if you click on that link, in the email, it will take you to the screen where it says it expired, and on that same page there is also a link titled Request a New Verification or Reset Password link.  Click on that, and it will ask for your email address. Enter your address and then the system will email you a fresh link or code that will allow you to get into the system and set up your account password.

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Friends of South Cumberland State Park · Post Office Box 816 · Sewanee, TN 37375 · USA

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