"Understand, Protect, Preserve, Educate"

The 2023 SFHS Ais and Calusa Catamaran Project is in the beginning stages of its design and intention. With the assistance of multiple archaeologists and volunteers, we have finally entered the physical stages of the project which will take place at South Fork High School. We aim at doing exactly what the project name suggests, which is recreating a catamaran-like craft used by the Ais and Calusa; to do so just as they would have done. It is through this actualistic archaeology project that we will confirm multiple old theories in aboriginal canoe making and will be testing new theories proposed by myself and others. Additionally after the first dugout canoe has been made; this project will be 100% open to students at South Fork as well as to general members of the public who will be able to participate hands-on in this project. A project such as this has never been attempted, let alone at a high school and we are eager to share this with the public!   

Meetings will be held the third Saturday of the month at the Hobe Sound Public Library

 10:30-12:30

This talk will explore the geological and cultural history of the Everglades. In particular, we will look at the role of early Native Americans and initial tree island formations.

Sara Ayers-Rigsby specializes in cultural resources management and historic preservation. As the Director for the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Southeast/Southwest Regions, Ayers-Rigsby is responsible for designing educational outreach and programming for Florida’s southernmost 9 counties which comprise half of the state’s population. Prior to beginning her role as Southeast/Southwest Regional Director for the Florida Public Archaeology Network, she spent 10 years working as an archaeologist throughout the United States, with a regional focus on the archaeology of the southeast and Mid Atlantic. She earned her M.A. in Archaeology for Screen Media from the University of Bristol, UK, and her B.A. in Classical Archaeology from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She is certified as a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). Her research interests include public outreach and archaeology, resiliency, archaeological compliance legislation, and industrial archaeology in Florida. She loves visiting state parks, historical sites, and house museums in south Florida and is always thrilled to talk to others about them. 

Meetings will be held the third Saturday of the month at the Hobe Sound Public Library

 10:30-12:30