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Protect biodiversity in the Smokies and beyond!

A “Wondrous Diversity of Life” has long been a catch phrase used to describe the qualities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While our park may lack the geysers of Yellowstone and the granite cliffs of Yosemite, the Smokies inspire awe with their incredible biological diversity, from trees and wildflowers to salamanders, birds, insects, and more. Unfortunately, biodiversity everywhere—including our national parks—is at risk from threats like development, pollution, invasive species and climate change. 

At Discover Life in America, we sincerely believe that recognizing and documenting life in the Smokies is the first essential step in preserving nature in the national park and around the globe. Biodiversity conservation is vital for economic, aesthetic, social, and moral value. It’s also a crucial element of climate resilience. 

Here’s how your donation today can support our work in 2025!

  • $50 will support DNA barcoding 10 species for the Smokies ATBI.
  • $100 will provide an iScience kit to an underserved school, helping students study the diversity of life in their own schoolyard.
  • $500 will provide a grant for a world-class biologist to conduct research in the Great Smoky Mountains.
  • $1,500 will provide a stipend for our undergraduate Summer Internship Program.
  • $5,000 will fund a Bioblitz event, where participants connect with scientists to document and learn about their own local biodiversity.

Thanks to your generous support, here’s what we were able to accomplish in 2024:

✔️ So far this year, 241 species have been added to the Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory!

🧬 We used a genetic technique called DNA barcoding to add 26 new species to the park’s list. DNA data from Smokies species are added to an international database giving scientists worldwide the ability to compare and analyze the diversity of life in the Smokies and on Earth.

🪰 DLiA hosted our first “ID Blitz” at Twin Creeks this year, gathering eight taxonomist specialists to help identify our backlog of previously collected insects. They successfully identified some 1,500 flies, including 51 fly species that were new to the park and one that was new to the science books.

🔬 DLiA hosted 4 incredible summer interns in 2024 with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and supporters like you! They carried out plant surveys, learned DNA barcoding, backpacked up to Gregory Bald, helped with our firefly fundraiser, and created a mini documentary on sochan in the Smokies, as well as a video highlighting the immersive DLiA internship opportunity. Watch the videos below created by 2024 DLiA photography intern, Jacy Tucker!

🔎 Through our Smokies Most Wanted initiative, over 2,000 park visitors have participated in community science this year, contributing 44,000 scientific records about 4,000 park species, and adding 25 new species to the park’s list.

🌍 This year, DLiA has shared our mission through education and outreach programs to over 1,500 people of all ages. Our iScience schoolyard biodiversity program has now reached more than 5,000 middle school students over the years, enabling community science and STEM-related activities.

Join the discovery with a donation today to help us continue to study and conserve biodiversity in the Smokies and beyond…

You can also support DLiA by…

  • Send this webpage to other nature enthusiasts.
  • Shopping DLiA merchandise through our website.
  • Becoming a sponsor for Discover Life in America! Visit our website or contact Todd Witcher, Executive Director at todd@dlia.org to get started.
  • Signing up for Kroger Community Rewards and selecting to support “Discover Life in America” (a contribution is made to DLiA every time you shop at Kroger)
  • And more