<< Back 8/14/02 Friends license plate money returned SMN The State of North Carolina has restored $24,480 that was diverted from the sales of the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park license plate in an attempt to balance the state budget. In April, the state seized all specialty license plate money collected during the state’s fiscal year third quarter (January-March) as part of a much larger effort to avoid a state budget deficit. Friends of the Smokies vigorously protested the action on several fronts. After reviewing the situation, Governor Mike Easley pledged to return the money. “We realize that the State of North Carolina is in a financial bind, but it was clearly a mistake to take funds intended for use by a non-profit organization,” said Stephen W. Woody, vice president of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Smokies. “We are gratified that the governor has restored the funds.” Attorney General Roy Cooper and Rep. Marge Carpenter are among those who deserve credit for their assistance, according to George Ivey, director of the North Carolina Office of Friends of the Smokies. “From elected officials and the media to all those people who own the specialty plates, it really was a team effort to bring attention to the situation and get it resolved,” Ivey said. The State of North Carolina has also sent a check for $29,440 to the Friends organization for tag sales in the most recent quarter, April through June. This latter amount represents the highest quarterly payment to date, and it translates to an increase of more than 50 percent over the same period last year. “We’re very pleased that the quarterly payments are back on schedule and that more people are buying the plate than ever before,” Ivey said. The Friends of the Smokies specialty tags have now raised a grand total of more than $193,000. The Friends organization has used more than $60,000 of the tag money to support the experimental return of elk to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The specialty plate money has also helped to support the new Purchase Knob Learning Center near Maggie Valley, to help protect the park’s threatened Fraser fir trees, and to provide handicapped access at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.