BIG CYPRESS — Life is blooming at Billie Swamp Safari from a sunflower cluster at the Seminole village to the triplet of mischievous toddler otters named River, Kora and Daisy. Two infant bobcats, a 6-month-old grizzly bear, a cadre of new staff members and a handful of venue renovations are bringing

BIG CYPRESS — For the first time since Billie Swamp Safari opened 21 years ago at Big Cypress Reservation, a female employee is wrestling alligators. Athletic, pretty and brave, Sarah Hall, 27, captivates crowds several times a week when she enters the gator pit for go-rounds with some of the largest

BIG CYPRESS — The tables were turned on more than 30 teachers this summer when the Tribe’s Florida Seminole Tourism Department hosted daylong learning adventures just for them at Billie Swamp Safari. "I loved every minute," said Tiqua Carty, a fifth-grade teacher from Riverland Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale. Carty was one

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) embraced the past and present at its annual conference July 10-13 in Santa Clara, Calif. The conference theme, "Going Tra-Digital," marked the combination of honoring Native traditions while using modern technology, including social media, in newsrooms throughout Indian Country. "Our traditions shape

BRIGHTON — A steady procession of dump trucks has traveled in and out of the Brighton Reservation shell pit thanks to an abundance of work from multiple sources, including the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). "It’s in full throttle now," said Brighton Board Rep.

Hattie Kauffman has the distinction of being the first Native American television reporter to file a story on a national evening news broadcast, but she hopes she won’t be the last. "Our culture is vibrant with storytelling; that’s what reporting is," said Kauffman, a four-time Emmy Award winning journalist and member

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of seniors from Hollywood went on a sightseeing trip last month to San Francisco, a city known for its vintage cable cars, picturesque Fisherman’s Wharf and steep hills covered in quaint Victorian homes. The group was also enriched by a newly found kinship with the Federated

TALLAHASSEE — Meeting a fellow unconquered people was a memorable experience for a group of Big Cypress seniors who traveled to Florida State University July 17 to meet members of the undefeated 2013 BCS championship Seminoles football team. "The players wanted to meet the seniors," said Big Cypress Councilman Mondo Tiger,

The Tribe’s decision to get into the oil business is paying off. With the large amounts of gas sold at the Trading Posts and used throughout Seminole Tribe operations, the Board of Directors jumped at the opportunity to enter the energy business when Evans Oil became available for purchase. Three years ago,