Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society

Mission Statement & Code of Conduct

To legally and ethically promote the exchange of information on the prehistoric and historic heritage of the Falls region among professional archaeologists, students, avocational archaeologists and collectors, professionals in other disciplines (historians, teachers, etc.), Native Americans, and other members of the interested public.

Goals and Objectives:

-To disseminate research findings of professional archaeologists to the public in a non-technical but informative format;
-To enlighten the public regarding existing educational resources and programs
-To identify archaeological volunteer opportunities and facilitate participation in public archaeology;
-To present an informed and united voice for the preservation and conservation of archaeological resources in the Falls area;
-To provide training of interested individuals in archaeological methods and techniques;
-To recognize the role and value of responsible avocational archaeologists and to provide a medium by which their contributions can be made available to professionals and the public;
-To mentor and encourage students in their pursuit of professional accreditation and to provide an outlet for the publication of student research papers; and
-To collectively enjoy our common fascination with the past of the Falls area.

We are part of an on-going story in the Falls region!


Code of Conduct

Section 1. FOAS members shall not willfully destroy or distort archeological data.

Section 2. All persons who participate in FOAS sponsored excavations of human skeletal burial sites shall behave in accordance with state and federal laws and in a manner that acknowledges the sanctity that the site may hold for all people. Skeletal materials shall be handled with respect at all times. Visitors to burial sites under excavation shall be informed of this Code and the state or federal laws regarding the excavation of burial remains, either by posted message or personal explanation.

Section 3. Artifacts recovered in any activity sponsored by the FOAS shall not remain in the hands of the individual excavators, but shall be returned to the landowner, or become the property of the State of origin or appropriate Federal governmental agency as appropriate.

Section 4. FOAS members will promote the use of proper archeological techniques. All excavations by members shall be performed according to proper archeological techniques. Society members will seek professional assistance as needed. Society members will offer assistance and/or instruction to non-Society members with an interest in preservation and/or legitimate research. Members, to the best of their ability, shall properly record and catalogue their private collections. Members are encouraged to donate their private collections to the State of origin or an appropriate curation facility.

Section 5. FOAS members shall actively discourage the looting of archeological sites and encourage the preservation of such sites by informing the public of archeology’s importance to the recovery of information.

Section 6. FOAS members shall not sell, buy, or barter artifacts derived from archeological sites for personal gain.

Members of the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. Members found to be in violation of this Code can be denied continued membership in the Society.

Note:
This Code of Conduct derives from the long-standing Code of Ethics of the Arkansas Archaeology Society. The Arkansas Archaeological Society has graciously granted permission for FOAS to use their format.