GATLINBURG, TN -- Join many Great Smoky Mountain National Park supporters and admirers in a celebration of the discovery of life in some of our country's most biologically diverse mountainous national parks.

Discover Life in America is hosting the event on Saturday April 27, 2013; 6 p.m.–10 p.m. at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.

The Great Smoky Mountains Salamander Ball is a masquerade ball and fundraiser for Discover Life in America to help celebrate the wondrous biodiversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This event is for adults and children of all ages so come dressed as your favorite Smokies’ critter!

There will be hors d’oeuvres and beverages, live music by Johnson Swingtet, a Smokies’ Salamander beauty pageant, and a unique live and silent auction. For the kids, there will be an area with games and crafts.

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory or ATBI is a unique ecological undertaking to find and document every species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from ferns and fungi to birds and beetles. The effort began in 1998 and is serving as a model for efforts to document the diversity of life throughout the nation—at other national parks, state parks, and in other preserves, large and small. To date, more than 900 species have been identified that are new to science and over 7,600 species have been identified that are new records for the Smokies.

For more details visit www.dlia.org. Free parking is available at the Reagan Drive parking lot nearby. To register please contact Heather MacCulloch, at Discover Life in America, 865-430-4756 or e-mail at heather@dlia.org.