| “The maps and atlases provide a blueprint of current site conditions and, for the first time, a systematic means to monitor site changes.” |
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| Mary Glowacki, Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research |
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Humans have used Florida’s coastal areas for thousands of years, but many of the remaining archaeological sites are seriously threatened by natural and human forces. To better protect and preserve these cultural resources, state archaeologists have worked to systematically map significant, at-risk archaeological sites in three locations.
“This is the best way to deal with the issue of threatened cultural resources in coastal areas,” says Mary Glowacki, chief and state archaeologist for Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Archaeological Research. “The cost of trying to stabilize these sites is a huge investment of time and money, and is essentially unaffordable for land managers to do. One thing we can do is to go ahead and record these sites as best we can.”
As a result of the mapping project, the state now has an atlas of the most significant archaeological sites in Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park in southwestern Florida, Big Bend Wildlife Management Area in north-central Florida, and Aucilla Wildlife Management Area in the northwestern part of the state.
The atlases will be useful for resource managers and law enforcement staff members who monitor and protect the sites, archaeologists reconstructing the region’s cultural history, and scientists assessing shoreline erosion and inventorying natural resources, Glowacki says.
Creating the maps was important, she says, because ancient cultural resources in Florida’s coastal areas are gradually eroding from the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms, subsidence, tidal scouring, vandalism and looting, animals, and loss of native vegetation.
With funding from the Florida Coastal Management Program, the state’s Public Lands Archaeology program began systematically mapping the physical features of areas with a concentration of important archaeological sites that are being threatened.
Glowacki and Bureau of Archaeological Research staff members selected the sites to be surveyed, accompanied the contracted surveying team to ensure proper site recording, and compiled existing maps and site information to include in the atlases. For the Big Bend atlas, a botanist also provided an inventory of plants associated with the sites to give managers information to reconstruct the native ecosystem.
“We tried to stick to the same process in each area,” she says.
The Public Lands Archaeology program composed the text and designed the atlases and a brochure. The atlases include a computer jump drive holding all the digital files to make the data computer-accessible.
“The maps and atlases provide a blueprint of current site conditions and, for the first time, a systematic means to monitor site changes,” says Glowacki. They also provide a foundation for preservation, restoration, and protection activities.
She adds, “It was a good investment. We produced a nice, solid tangible product that is contributing to the goals and objectives of the organizations involved. Doing something similar would be very doable for any group that has the time and resources.”
For more information on Florida’s archaeological site mapping, contact Mary Glowacki at (850) 245-6319 or Mary.Glowacki@dos.myflorida.com.
