Ken Jenkins Receives “Friend of the Forge” Award During Wilderness Wildlife Week

Natural history photographer Ken Jenkins, the man who conceived the idea of Pigeon Forge’s annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, has received the city’s first “Friend of the Forge” award.

Pigeon Forge created the award to acknowledge individuals who have contributed to the city’s success as a tourism destination.

“Not only did Ken Jenkins bring us the idea for Wilderness Wildlife Week, but he also has been a driving force in its growth and development as an event to attract visitors in January. With the 2010 Wilderness Wildlife week, we have marked 20 years of a great idea,” said City Manager Earlene Teaster.

After the first year, which offered four programs on one day, Jenkins advocated expanding to an entire week, according to Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

“We made the jump immediately, and visitors really latched onto the idea. This year, we had more than 230 sessions, almost 60 hikes, dozens of volunteers and more than 150 expert presenters,” Downey said.

Wilderness Wildlife Week has become a major component of the city’s four-month-long Winterfest celebration, drawing visitors from many states for programs about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and scores of topics related to the outdoors.

Jenkins received an engraved “Friend of the Forge” award as the 2010 Wilderness Wildlife Week began. Later this year, a tulip poplar, the Tennessee state tree, will be planted in his honor along the Pigeon Forge Greenway.

“I was surprised and honored, and I must say that the tulip poplar is a very touching and appropriate gesture. Wilderness Wildlife Week thrives because of Pigeon Forge’s backing and the support of so many volunteers. It is a joy to see how it has evolved,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins, who photographs nature’s beauty around the world, says he is firmly rooted in the Great Smoky Mountains and that the mountains were his inspiration for Wilderness Wildlife Week.

He has two galleries – Beneath the Smoke and Heaven’s Eye – in Gatlinburg. You can see and purchase Ken’s work at his website, KenJenkins.com and at Ken Jenkin’s author page at Amazon .

Wilderness Wildlife Week To Feature 230 Programs In 2010

So what’s an outdoorsman supposed to do? He wants to be on the lake or in the woods, but his wife and kids just don’t understand.

The answer is to get his family excited about the outdoors, too, and one solution is letting Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., generate that excitement.

Wilderness Wildlife Week is a January event with more than 230 programs spread over eight days. There are sessions about bears, elk, trout and other species, plus nature photography workshops, map and compass classes and even opportunities to meet a bald eagle or learn how to hoot like an owl.

Almost 60 hikes and excursions into the national park complement the indoor programs. In 2009, more than 1,000 hikers from 18 states logged a cumulative 4,656 miles.

“The range of topics is huge. I think virtually everybody can learn something, be entertained and get turned on to outdoor activities,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which organizes the week.

Dates for Wilderness Wildlife Week’s 20th year are Jan. 9-16, 2010. More than 150 experts—outfitters, nature photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians and just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies—donate their time to the project.

“The week is extremely flexible. You can attend one lecture or take one hike, or you can participate day after day,” Downey said. “It’s a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.”

Here’s a sampling of program titles:

• Bears 101—Their Lives and Interactions with Humans
• Update on Elk in the Smokies
• Identifying Local Birds of Prey
• How To Use a Map and Compass
• Whose Scat Is That?
• Steam-Stocked Trout Fishing
• If You Were a Bear
• Fly Casting
• Bears We’ve Met—Stories of Encounters
• Returning the Osprey to Nest in Tennessee
• Six Months of Hummingbirds in Your Yard
• Tales from “Lost” (finding lost hikers)
• Hypothermia—I’m Not Cold
• Black Bear Management in Tennessee
• The Wolves of Bays Mountain
• Unusual Camping Tricks and Gizmos
• Hiking Tips for the Whole Family
• Wild Hog Biology

Wilderness Wildlife Week began 19 years ago as a half-day program on a January Saturday. January hasn’t been the same since then in Pigeon Forge. The Southeast Tourism Society has chosen it 10 times as a Top 20 Event in the Southeast.