Advocacy & Education

ADVOCACY

We support legislative efforts and policies that help protect Florida’s historic and archaeological resources at the local, state and national level. We encourage our membership to contact their elected officials on these issues.

Isolated Finds in Florida

The Isolated Finds program (in place between 1994-2005) allowed people to collect isolated artifacts from State-owned lands provided they reported their finds to the State Division of Historic Resources. The program was ultimately terminated due to low reporting numbers (78% noncompliance; only 7 individuals were actually reporting finds) and issues with site destruction (in some cases, artifacts were being removed from known sites, rather than collected as isolated artifacts). FAS supports efforts to remove language in historic preservation legislation that allows for this program to operate on state-owned lands. Instead of an artifact collecting program, we support the participation of our members and the public in archaeological endeavors in Florida that are ethical, sustainable and provide well-researched information for the public benefit.

To learn about the Isolated Finds Program and recent legislative efforts to remove language allowing for the program, please see the following resources.

History of the Isolated Finds Program

Feasibility Report on a one-time Artifact Amnesty Program

FPAN’s FAQ on Collecting Artifacts from State Land

Full text and updates on HB 6041 

Full text and updates on SB 1296

ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Florida One-pager: (work in progress – will have ready by March)

Knowing the Difference between Advocacy and Lobbying webinar, Cultural Heritage Partners Advocating and Lobbying as a nonprofit Webinar from Heritage Coalition

Find Your Representatives

 

OTHER RESOURCES AND ADVOCACY GROUPS

Archaeology Advocacy Alert Network Facebook Group

Coalition for American Heritage

Florida Archaeological Preservation Association

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Formed in late 2012, the objectives and tasks of the Florida Anthropological Society Education Committee are:

Objectives
1. To promote the overall objectives, goals, and programs of FAS to Florida’s public and private educational institutions from K-12 to the university level, and to the general public.
2. To connect FAS with the larger community of anthropology students, faculty, and practitioners in Florida, including those whose research is outside of the state.
3. To critically assess issues and policies impacting educational programs in anthropology throughout the state.
4. To advise the FAS board and membership on educational policy and issues currently impacting anthropology education in FL through FAS listserv, quarterly board meetings, FAS newsletter, and/or journal.

Tasks
1. To convene at the FAS Annual Meeting, and communicate through other means, such as via the internet, throughout the year as the need arises.
2. To maintain a database and/or website listing opportunities for students including mentorships, employment, field schools, internships, and volunteer opportunities.
3. To maintain a database and/or website listing anthropology majors, minors, and courses in the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning.

DO YOU HAVE AN ARCHAEOLOGY SCOOP, ANNOUNCEMENT, OR FIELD SCHOOL NEWS? 

The FAS Education Committee is always accepting blog posts and content. Looking for internship or scholarship candidates? Has your chapter volunteered on a project or visited a local site? Have a project you want to share in an informal way to students, educators, FAS members, and the general public? Compile your content in a MS Word document. Add a title and one or more pictures including their descriptions and photo credits. Please email your flyers, notices, and other content to: education@fasweb.org