Avocational Archaeology & Paleontology Council
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!
1. WRITE EACH COMMISSION MEMBER
It is imperative that you let each member of the Florida Historical Commission know that you support the Isolated Finds Policy. Each one of them needs to hear from you personally. Those of you with school age children who share a family interest in archaeology or paleontology should have them write as well. Our opponents continue to wrongfully stereotype us with those who illegally dig or collect cultural artifacts in protected archaeological sites. There is a distinct difference between responsible avocational archaeologists who share information with professionals and the individuals who engage in illicit digging and never share any data. If the Commission lump us all together, and the IFP is abolished, then responsible individuals will be alienated and no information will be shared at all. Very stringent laws currently exist relevant to illegal digging or surface collecting cultural artifacts on state lands. Despite those laws, some state officials are frustrated by what they claim is a lack of effective enforcement. Their frustration has manifested into a misplaced discriminatory bias that has wrongfully spilled over onto the Isolated Finds Policy and is only a step away from challenging the Florida Program of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The Florida Historical Commission must be encouraged not to abolish a mutually beneficial outreach activity like the Isolated Finds Policy. If they choose to do so, it will be an undeniable example of the how the involved public is being pushed away through increasing restrictive legislation and rule making; adding validity to the belief that public archaeology is in effect being eliminated, and exclusively cloistered by professional academia.
3. WRITE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Write a letter to your Legislative Representative and ask for their help on the issue. Request that they write a letter to each of the commissioners supporting the IFP. This carries tremendous weight, particularly if the commissioner lives in their district. Writing a single letter to the Chairman is not advisable. It is extremely important that each commisson member is made personally aware of the public's support of the IFP. Quasi-governmental agencies like the FHC are made up of appointees from all walks of life. Two of the eleven commissioners are professional archaeologists, one of whom serves as chairman. All the commissioners are working career professionals who lead busy lives. Assuming that information supplied to one commissioner automatically reaches them all in a timely fashion is impractical considering the volunteer nature of their service. Click on the following links sample letters. Use them as a guideline to author correspondences in your own words.
2. WRITE THE STATE ARCHAEOLOGIST
In a correspondence postmarked April 12, 2005, the Bureau of Archaeological Research notified IFP participants and other members of the public that the FHC would hear from interested parties at its next meeting scheduled for May 21,2005 in Coral Gables. They also advised that comments may be submitted to the Bureau before May 11th in writing to Dr. Ryan Wheeler, State Archaeologist, at rjwheeler@dos.state.fl.us or at the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, 500 S. Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250. Representatives of interested groups are invited to speak at the FHC meeting. If you are interested in speaking at the meeting, please contact Ryan Wheeler at the above address.
The AAPC suggests that you forward Dr. Wheeler copies of the correspondence you send to the FHC Commissioners and your State Representative.
