GSMNP --March 15, 2002 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park scientists got an unexpected windfall in the form of two surplussed computers donated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The two computers will be used by staff and volunteers of Discover Life in America (DLIA), the non-profit foundation which is overseeing the Park's on-going All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI). The ATBI project uses professional scientists from around the United States as well as thousands of students and volunteers to help collect, sort, and classify all of the estimated 100,000 plants and animals that make their homes in America's most biologically diverse national park.

Jeanie Hilten, Administrative Officer of DLIA, is responsible for recruiting and helping to train all the volunteers who assist the professionals in conducting the Inventory. According to Hilten, "These PC's couldn't have come at a better time. In the early spring we recruit all our olunteers and students and train them in inputting new species records, developing web sites for each species, and doing a myriad of other computer-based tasks. These machines will allow for a lot more hands-on training and speed up the work."

"TVA is excited about making a contribution to the program," says Jack Johnson, TVA's Manager of Distributor Partnerships. "Our surplus-computer donation program supports our efforts to improve the quality of life in the Tennessee Valley and our commitment to excellence in public service. The program shows how business computers can effectively be reused and make a second life-cycle contribution to the community. This "recycling effort" also demonstrates environmental leadership."

The Park's Inventory and Monitoring Specialist, Keith Langdon said, "When the Park decided to undertake the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory we recognized that we did not have the money, the staff or the equipment to pull off something this ambitious. But what has happened is that these elements have been coming together from a whole variety of partners. Schools have become interested in having their students learn science by working with us. The Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association have stepped up with money to help us get established. And donors like TVA have come forward with equipment far beyond what DLIA or the Park could afford to purchase."