GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS // Gerd Ludwig

Summary: Perhaps the most aptly named geographic landmark in the world, the Cherokee Indians called the Great Smoky Mountains the "Place of Blue Smoke" due to its perennial blanket of smoky-blue mist - a natural effect of oily residues and water vapor from its richly diverse forests. In 1930, Great Smoky Mountains National Park became one of the largest protected areas of the eastern United States. Spanning the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee, it encompasses 814 square miles of lush landscapes (more tree species than in all of northern Europe), abundant wildlife (65 mammal and 230 bird species), and spectacular scenic beauty. It has become America's most visited national park, attracting more than 9 million visitors annually.

Today, the Great Smokies' signature blue fog is being replaced by a toxic yellow haze produced by power plants, ozone pollution and automobile emissions carried by the wind from distant cities. These air born pollutants, trapped by the mountains' physical structure combined with predominant weather patterns, are not only degenerating the visibility of its impressive scenic views, but damaging plants, degrading water and soil, and increasingly putting human health at risk.

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