ILLINOIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY

President's Report

For those of you who were not able to come to the IAS annual meeting, I’d like to recap 2004 IAS activities and let you know what’s planned for 2005.

The IAS, in cooperation with IHPA and IDNR, conducted a workshop entitled Farmstead Archaeology: Illinois’ Agricultural Legacy. The workshop was attended by over 35 archaeologists. Workshop discussions focused primarily on the need to develop good local and regional contexts for farmstead sites, the need to recognize the diversity of farmstead sites, and the need to improve dissemination of farmstead site reports. To this end, a day-long session of papers on late nineteenth-early twentieth century farmstead archaeology was planned for the Annual IAS meeting.

A booklet entitled Navigating the 106/707 Cultural Resources Review and Compliance Process: Archaeology for Business People written by Sara Studenmund was placed on the web under “Professional Resources” in the summer of 2004. This excellent resource provides an overview of the review process suitable for non-archaeologists (developers and concerned citizens) and out-of-state archaeologists unfamiliar with Illinois law. It is a particularly handy document for CRM firms to send to clients. The booklet is a PDF file and easy to download.

Over the last year our web site, under the care of Len Stelle, has blossomed. Just check out "Current Research" under “News and Announcements” as one example. The color photographs of sites, features and artifacts add so much to the project reports. Submitting current research to the IAS can go a long way toward improving the dissemination of “gray literature.” Jacque Ferguson is responsible for our new “Pending Legislation." Also, keep up with what IAS members working out-of-state are doing (look under Out-of-Staters). And you might consider sending an article for E-publication.

The 2004 Archaeology Awareness Month was a great success. I hope all of you were able to see “Hero, Hawk and Open Hand: Ancient Art of the Midwest and Southeast” in Chicago or St. Louis. The theme for the 2005 Awareness Month has been chosen; the working title for that theme is “Archaeology and African American Heritage: Places on the Pathways of Freedom.” See Karen Poulsen’s recap of Archaeology Awareness Month.

This year the IAS established the Jeanette E. Stephens Award to be given to the author of an outstanding undergraduate paper on Illinois archaeology. The intent of this award is to stimulate interest in Illinois archaeology among undergraduates, to promote participation in Illinois archaeology (through class work and field schools and data analysis), and to encourage the development of writing skills. See our web site for particulars. We look forward to receiving many deserving papers.

The IAS contributed $500.00 toward the publication in 2004 of Aboriginal Ritual and Economy in the Eastern Woodlands: Essays in Memory of Howard Dalton Winters. The volume is edited by Anne-Marie Cantwell, Lawrence A. Conrad, and Jonathan E. Reyman and published by the Illinois State Museum (Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers, Vol. XXX), the Center for American Archaeology (Kampsville Studies in Archaeology and History, Volume 5). It is a volume everyone working in Illinois and beyond will want.

Editor Bob Warren is working to get Volumes 14 and 15 of Illinois Archaeology out to the membership this year. Papers given during the day-long symposium on Historic Farmstead Archaeology at the IAS Annual Meeting will be published as Vol. 16 of the IAS journal. All but three papers are in hand and should be sent out for review by the end of the month.

The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey was held at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield on November 12th and 13th. An IAS board meeting was held after the historic symposium on November 12th. The general business meeting for IAS fellows was held that evening followed by a reception at the museum. Papers on current archaeological research in Illinois were presented on November 13th. The Keynote address “The Schaefer Mammoth: Evidence for Butchering” was given by Dan Jouce, Senior Curator of Exhibits and Collections, Kenosha Public Museum. Associate Museum Director, and esteemed IAS member Bonnie Styles gave a guided tour of the Museum’s Change’s exhibit to cap off the day.

The 2005 IAS annual meeting is set for September 16th and 17th and will be hosted by Parkland College in Champaign. The timing and theme dovetail with Archaeology Awareness Month. The working title for the meeting is Ethnic and Racial Identities in the Archaeological Record. Get more information from our web site.

This year Brian Butler and Alice Berkson stepped down from the IAS board. Both of these long-time IAS members have provided many years of wise council, and we expect that they will continue to be active members of the organization. Two new board members, Tom Loebel and Julie Holt, were elected at the annual meeting. Len Stelle was re-elected.

The main project for the IAS this year is to assist IHPA in reworking the Guidelines for Illinois Archaeology. To this end a workshop sponsored by the IDNR, IAS, and IHPA was held on February 25, 2005. Some 35 archaeologists were in attendance. Hal Hassen set the agenda for the workshop, Four topics were addressed—Context, Sampling, Documentation, and Buried Land Form Assessment. Clare Tolmie took detailed notes of the proceedings. Existing Illinois guidelines, guidelines from other states, workshop discussions, comments and suggestions received since the workshop, all will be considered by members of the Guidelines Committee in crafting new guidelines.

As you can see, your organization is alive and well. Pay your dues and get others to join. We need to work together to make Illinois archaeology the best that it can be. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about the organization.

Rochelle Lurie

Midwest Archaeological Research Services, Inc.
(815) 568-0680
RRL200@MC.NET