Scripps grant to help maintain Smokies trails

A $25,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation will help maintain trails through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for years to come.

Bruce Hartmann, publisher of the News Sentinel, secured the grant for the Friends of the Smokies, which works to preserve and promote the park. The grant will go toward the Trails Forever initiative, "the signature program of the park's 75th anniversary celebration," according to Hartmann, who serves on the Friends board of directors.

"The News Sentinel, through leadership and advocacy, played a significant role in the establishment of the park 75 years ago," Hartmann wrote in a letter requesting the grant. "We've come to think of the Smokies as our park, and being part of this initiative enables us to preserve our park for generations to come."

Jim Hart, president of the Friends of the Smokies, said the grant also will help secure a $2.3 million matching gift challenge from the Aslan Foundation, all of which will fund Trails Forever.

"It's a major gift to our project, and we're very excited about it," he said.