Bob Miller works in public affairs. Bob Griffits is the chief of staff for US House of Representatives member John Duncan . What do these two men have in common besides their name?

They both work for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Miller, a former high school biology teacher, conducts day-to-day communications, coordinates special events, and deals with complaints and emergencies within the Smokies.

He is able to take care of most of what the park needs in Tennessee, except when it comes to dealing with the budget.

Griffits is glad to have the Smokies in his (Duncan's) district, and is the go-to guy for Miller to hound about fundraising.

The park, will be having it's 75^th Anniversary next year with yearlong celebrations and events. However, the park is not allowed to ask for money. It can tell the public what it's needs are, so therefore it relies on its operating budget and then its fees and private donations for any extra expenses, Miller said. 

The park receives $17 million annually, which is a $1.5 million increase from last year.  President Bush has also proposed a special initiative bill , which would add $3 billion into the National Park Services from 2008-2016.

Griffith, along with the rest of Duncan's office, work to maintain and preserve the historic park structure and are looking at a few improvements.

"We want to prohibit commercial aircrafts from flying over the park," Griffits said, even though "it's not as big of an issue in the Smokies as some of the others (parks)."

The parks services are also constantly in a state of construction. The Federal Highway Administration has repaved approximately 10 miles of the Newfound Gap Road and are currently working on the spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Most roads have a 15-18 year life.

Griffits also adds "the parks awareness has increased in the last 10-15 years. We get about 9.5 million visitors every year."

 Visit the Great Smoky Mountains trip planner to plan your trip to our state's great natural asset.