A new Species-a-Day perpetual flip calendar allows Great Smoky Mountains National Park enthusiasts to learn more about a place renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life on each day of this and all years to come.
Published by Great Smoky Mountains Association, the perpetual desk calendar is the result of a collaborative project between the association, the local nonprofit Discover Life in America and the National Park Service.
“This project, from conception to completion, was an amazing collaboration,” said park entomologist Becky Nichols. “We all played a part and worked together seamlessly. My involvement, along with my interns, was to edit the species information and images for each entry to verify that they are accurate.”
The calendar was years in the making, from being tossed around as an idea to reality as a product, said Will Kuhn, director of science and research at DLiA.
“I love how well it came together,” Kuhn said. “It's informative, ‘edu-taining’ and beautiful. It's also a perfect example of the fruitful relationship between GSMNP and its nonprofit partners.”
In its ‘perpetual’ format, this calendar can adorn your desk this year, next year and any year, said Frances Figart, GSMA’s director of creative services.
“The Species-a-Day Calendar is especially rewarding because it was conceived by a young person who had aspirations not only to join our group of creative professionals at GSMA—some of the most talented anywhere in the world—but also to make a difference for a nonprofit that contributes immensely to the knowledge of biodiversity in this park.”
For more information about the Species-A-Day calendar and other NPS-approved educational products offer by GSMA, visit SmokiesInformation.org.