The Association of Partners of Public Lands, at its 2010 conference going on right now, awarded the Great Smoky Mountains Association several awards. Who are these two organizations?

The Great Smoky Mountains Association is the non-profit group that publishes books and other media about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their most popular items are the Hiking Trails of the Smokies and the Smokies Trail map.

Association of Partners of Public Lands is the national umbrella group for park and forest associations. This is like winning the Oscars for Park Associations. Here are the awards for the Smokies:

Theme Related Items Winner
Products Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of GSMNP

Multi-Media Program/Project Winner
Great Smoky Mountains Association Web Site

Commemorative Project or Program Winner
Great Smoky Mountains 75th Anniversary Events and Web Site

Membership/Fundraising Materials Honorable Mention
Dolly Parton CD and Dollywood Store

Education Program/Project Honorable Mention
Smokies 2009 Family Friendly Junior Ranger Programming

NPS Awards
James V. Murfin Award for Partnership Winner
Terry Maddox, Executive Director of the Great Smoky Mountains Association

I am now on the board of GSMA and I could have attended the APPL conference in sunny California. Instead I decided to wait a year until I actually knew something about GSMA. Given the weather here in the mountains, maybe I should have gone.