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| Volume XXV, Number 13 | September 24, 2004 |
E-Mail to the EditorDear Editor, On July 4, we visited Billie Swamp Safari and purchased a small alligator head. On returning to New Zealand, the head was seized and we were told by customs that under the CITES act the head required an export permit. Would you be able to send us the required paper work so we can sort this out and collect our alligator head from customs? My residential address is 71 Maxted Road, RD3, Drury, Auckland, New Zealand. Or E-mail to coltom@quicksilver.net.nz. Looking forward to hearing from you Tom Austin Dear Mr. Austin, Hello again. I received response from our governing authority as copied below. I hope this will help. We have never encountered this problem before. Below is some information on why you ran into problems with bringing the alligator through customs. Sincerely, Debi Lee Administrative Assistant Billie Swamp Safari Hi Mr. Austin, The American alligator is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and is on the CITES Appendix-II list. Unfortunately, New Zealand is one of the CITES parties that does not recognize the personal effects exemption under CITES. So even items such as the alligator head taken overseas as hand-carried accompanying baggage must have a CITES permit to go from the U.S. to New Zealand. Mr. Austin has the option of submitting an application to this office for a retrospective export permit if the New Zealand CITES authority wants him to do that. He can request an application by contacting us at managementauthority@fws.gov. While you do not have to be responsible for informing customers the requirements of their own countries, you can tell them that they risk confiscation of these items if they take them to their home countries and they arrive without the CITES permit. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the Fish and Wildlife Service to offer a quick turn-around on issuing CITES permits for such items as my office has a tremendous backlog and processing times can exceed 90 days. An option for Mr. Austin, if he is willing, is to hold the item, obtain the CITES permit, and ship the item at a later date. The application form is http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-27.pdf. Let us know if you have other questions on this matter. Sincerely, Monica Farris Senior Permit Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Management Authority Dear Editor, Hi, I have a campsite in the Seminole campground and was wondering if anyone could tell me if there is any damage there. Tried calling but can not get though on the phone, it rings busy all the time. Please help me. Thank you, Heidi George Dear Ms. George, The Big Cypress RV Resort has not sustained any damage due to Hurricane Frances. Dear Editor, My name is Melinda Pash and I am a graduate student in history at the University of Tennessee. My dissertation topic is Korean War veterans and I am trying to locate Native American Korean War veterans to survey or interview. I very much want to include them in my study. Can you please tell me if the Seminole Tribune is an appropriate place to put a little squib on my project and if so how I would go about putting one in? My contact information is (910) 223-0809, 2334 Colgate Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304 and my email is blue5@mindspring.com . Thank you. Sincerely, Melinda Pash Hi Ms. Pash, Your e-mail has been forwarded to me for a reply. The Seminole Tribe does not have any Korean War vets. We have one veteran that served during the Korean War, but not actually in Korea. I don’t know if that counts in your dissertation, but let me know if it would. As far as an article in The Seminole Tribune, submit one to the Editor-in-Chief Virginia Mitchell. Our newspaper goes all over Indian Country; someone may reply, but you would have to be patient. Thanks, Stephen D. Bowers Liaison/Veteran Service Officer Dear Editor, I am writing in reference to a word. How do you pronounce Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki? What does the word unity mean in the Creek language? Thank you, divory@cmkds.com Dear Sir/Madam, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means “to learn.” It is pronounced Ahh-Tahh-Thee-Kee. Thank you, The Seminole Marketplace Dear Editor, I am interested in trying a little alligator wrestling. Can you tell me where I can try my hand at it? Thank you, Alex Dear Alex, The American alligator is a federally protected species in the United States and you would need to check with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for exact regulations. Alligator wrestling is not something that we would recommend trying your hand at without extensive education and experience with reptiles and their environment, otherwise the alligator may end up trying your hand. One of our reptile handlers did say that the American Zoological Association offers classes on crocodilians at the St. Augustine, Fla. Alligator Farm in North Florida. Sincerely, Debi Lee Administrative Assistant Billie Swamp Safari Dear Editor, My daughter’s school is studying early Florida history for the first semester of school this year. I was wondering if your reservation offers any tours or educational programs for children? Thank you, Courtney Gonzalez Tampa, Fla. Dear Ms. Gonzalez, The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is a wonderful place to learn about the culture and heritage of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means “things remembered, things learned “in native Miccosukee language. The museum is of five-star Smithsonian quality and features a film about the history of the Seminoles, rare artifacts, displays, a nature boardwalk and even a living village. Just down the road is Billie Swamp Safari, the Seminole’s eco-heritage wildlife park. At Billie Swamp Safari you can glide through the river of grass or idle through a cypress dome on the airboat ride. Take a swamp buggy eco-tour out into the land where the Seminoles lived and visit a reconstructed authentic Seminole camp. Learn the history of the Seminoles; learn about medicine plants and the flora and fauna of the environment and even about the native and exotic wildlife that roams the area. Many schools bring their classes out to the museum and safari while studying Florida history. The safari has even adjusted its buggy tour to share information that coincides with the curriculum of Florida history taught to fourth graders in Florida schools. We hope you will come to visit the museum and the swamp safari. Thank you, Lucy Evanicki Tribal Marketing Director Seminole Tribe of Florida Dear Ms. Virginia Mitchell, On behalf of the committee members producing the Sixth Annual Crystal Vision Gala, we would like to extend our recognition and appreciation for the three color ads that you have provided us for use in your publication. Rather than waiting after the event takes place to thank you for your donation, we wanted to acknowledge your generosity now. The success of this fundraiser is a result of organizations and companies such as yours. Your contribution will help raise much needed funds for the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood so we are able to continue creating opportunities for the entire community to experience the very best in visual and performing arts. This is an exciting era for the downtown area of Hollywood. We intend to be an integral part of the growth and development that is planned for its future. Your interest in our fundraising efforts helps us achieve this goal! Again, we thank you for your commitment to our organization and the arts! Sincerely, Joy A. Satterlee, APR Deputy Director Art and Culture Center of Hollywood |
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