License Plate Funds Help Celebrate Friends’ 20th Anniversary

License Plate Funds Help Celebrate Friends’ 20th Anniversary

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

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Don’t worry about sending a gift of platinum or china, you can celebrate Friends of the Smokies’ 20th Anniversary by putting a Friends specialty license plate on your vehicle. Each year, when you purchase or renew your Friends of the Smokies specialty plate, $31 of the $35 fee goes toward supporting Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP).

The State of Tennessee has just released third quarter contributions with $114,012 donated to Friends of the Smokies from specialty plate sales. Third quarter sales are the highest of this year, bringing total specialty plate income to over $388,000 in 2013. These contributions will help fund programs throughout the national park like managing bears, supporting the hemlock preservation, and educating schoolchildren.

“Our East Tennessee communities were greatly impacted during the government shutdown, and GSMNP was not exempt from the strain. With the peak of fall leaf color, October is the Smokies’ busiest month. It goes without saying that contributions from specialty license plate sales matter now more than ever to help the Park recover from this difficult time, “ explains Friends of the Smokies President Jim Hart.

To help support GSMNP, you can purchase a Friends of the Smokies specialty license plate now, even if your current plate is not expired. Go to your Tennessee County Clerk’s office or click here. If you already have a Friends specialty plate, please continue to renew your registration. For more information, please visit www.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org or contact Jim Hart at Friends of the Smokies, 865-932-4794.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

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ATC offers discount on Appalachian Trail license plates in TN

ATC offers discount on Appalachian Trail license plates in TN

Friday, January 22, 2010

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A grant from the Eastman Chemical Company Foundation is allowing the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) to underwrite discounts on the fees for the next 500 people to apply for an Appalachian Trail license plate in Tennessee.

Once 1,000 applications are received and the state begins producing tags, ATC’s share of the renewal fees will serve as a permanent funding source for the organization's work to protect and maintain the 280 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the state of Tennessee.

As a result of the grant, the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) license plates are now available for $15 instead of the usual $35 annual fee. Renewals will be at the standard $35 annual fee.

The ATC is offering its own incentive as well, thanking people who sign up for the license plate with a one-time annual membership to the national non profit. Existing ATC members may give someone else the membership as a gift.

The specialty A.T. license-plate program will benefit the state’s natural resources and national treasure in several ways. It will broaden awareness for this resource by widely promoting the Trail on vehicles from Memphis to Bristol. In addition, each plate will generate $15.56 annually for ATC, supporting management of such programs as land conservation, volunteer-based trail and facilities maintenance, natural-resources management, and programs that introduce children and teachers to the A. T. in Tennessee.

For more information and an application to take advantage of this offer, call the ATC at 828-254-3708 or go on line to www.appalachiantrail.org/tnlicenseplate.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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