Smokies Safe Passage

06/12/2026

National Parks Conservation Association and Safe Passage are at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, this weekend. 🎶 During the first day alone, approximately 700 festival-goers signed postcards addressed to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy asking him to prioritize wildlife crossings in federal transportation policy.

Attending Bonnaroo this weekend? Come say hi and sign a card.

06/09/2026

Interested in learning how communities can coexist with bears? This Thursday, June 11, from 7–8:30 p.m., join Rewild AVL of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Artemis Sportswomen at the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina, for a conversation about BearWise, a national program that encourages community initiatives to keep black bears wild. Learn more and register at ncwf.org/event/bearwise-live-responsibly-with-bears-asheville/

05/04/2026

It's National Travel and Tourism Week, and Safe Passage is out and about! Today, Defenders of Wildlife's Tracy Davids is representing Safe Passage at the I-40 West North Carolina Welcome Center. Then, on Friday, May 8, stop by our table at the I-26 North Carolina Welcome Center in Mars Hill from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 🐻

04/24/2026

Join SAHC members and friends at Yee-Haw Brewing on Wednesday, May 13 for a fun evening of environmental trivia focused on road ecology: the study of how roads, traffic, and transportation infrastructure impact natural environments.

📍 Yee-Haw Brewing Company
⏰ 5 pm to 8 pm - Trivia starts at 6
ℹ️ RSVP at https://appalachian.org/event/2026-yeehaw-trivia/, but feel free to drop by!

Spend time with your local conservation community and learn more about Smokies Safe Passage, one of SAHC’s critical partnerships focused on wildlife connectivity. You do not need to participate in trivia if you don’t want to. Annual donors and active volunteers are considered members of SAHC and form the foundation of our conservation work!

Yee-Haw Brewing is located in the heart of downtown Johnson City, in the historic Tweetsie train station. In-house food options are available, as well as White Duck Taco Shop, which shares the space. Beer, wine, liquor, and non-alcoholic options are available. Well-behaved dogs are welcome at the venue.

For questions or more info, feel free to reach out to Membership Director Cheryl Fowler at [email protected].

04/13/2026

Unless lawmakers take action, funds from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that support new wildlife crossings will run out at the end of this year. Safe Passage members and other advocates are urging Congress to reauthorize funds for the program. Learn more at app.publicnewsservice.org/story/nc-advocates-call-on-congress-to-approve-wildlife-crossing-funding/9f178cc6-15ae-4cf2-9ef0-d3c233cd2669?

North Carolina faces a high number of wildlife-vehicle collisions compared to other states and safety advocates are calling on Congress to make a wildlife crossings pilot program permanent and increase

03/10/2026

Join us for the Smokies BearWise Open House on Wednesday, March 18 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Rocky Top Sports World - Gatlinburg, TN in Gatlinburg.

This event is FREE and OPEN to the public and aims to educate residents, businesses, and visitors about living and recreating responsibly to keep bears wild and people safe.

There will be special presentations by the TWRA and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

This event is hosted by Smokies BearWise Task Force, the City of Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg Police Department, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and BearWise.

GET THE EVENT DETAILS AT THIS LINK ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/share/1D7d4vAfLM/

02/26/2026

02/16/2026

Art. Poetry. Young voices. Public lands. ❤️

Join us for “We Love Our Public Lands: In Words and Art”—an evening of photography, creative writing, and art inspired by nature, celebrating wilderness areas, wildlife, and the professionals who protect them. Connect with artists, poets, students, and conservation groups who support the land’s endurance.

eventbrite.com/e/we-love-our-public-lands-in-words-and-art-tickets-1981374935770

🗓 Feb. 19 | ⏰ 5:30–8:30 p.m.
📍 The Mule at Devil's Foot Beverage, Asheville, NC
Free + open to the community

01/28/2026

NCDOT's proposed plans for rebuilding I-40 include a massive concrete wall that will run alongside the road for most of the 4.5-mile rebuild area. Learn why members of the Safe Passage coalition fear this plan will spark a generational loss for wildlife connectivity in the gorge in this second of a two-part Word from the Smokies column: https://smokiessafepassage.org/word-from-the-smokies-i-40-rebuild-to-affect-wildlife-for-decades/

Pictured: NCDOT crews engage in preliminary road work ahead of the final plan’s release and implementation.

01/23/2026

Hurricane Helene created both challenges and chances for wildlife connectivity along I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge. Learn how in this first of a two-part Word from the Smokies column, published in Smoky Mountain News and Asheville Citizen Times. smokymountainnews.com/outdoors/item/40779-word-from-the-smokies-plans-for-rebuilding-i-40-spur-concern-for-wildlife

Pictured: A black bear uses a culvert carrying Groundhog Creek under I-40 to reach the other side of the highway.