INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025

Pop-Up Exhibits from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Archaeology Talk from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
FREE EVENT, BUT REGISTERING HELPS US PLAN BETTER, REGISTER HERE

> Explore a one-day exhibit of pre-Columbian artifacts from the Tampa Bay region and beyond! Archaeologists will illustrate the use of early stone and shell tools and their importance to indigenous people. Bring in found or inherited items such as spear points, tools, and pottery sherds for expert identification.

> Discover how indigenous Floridians used native plants in the pop-up “Florida Native Plants Through Time” exhibit. Exhibit designer and plant expert, Ben Metcantade, will also demonstrate how to make fiber-thread from our native yucca plant! Enjoy native plants, books, and resources on sustainable design and the importance of pollinators.

> "More than Collections: Making the Case for Physical Collections in a Digital World."  Learn about the fascinating relationship between botany and archaeology in a special presentation from Dr. Christopher A. Kiahtipes, Associate Curator of the University of South Florida Herbarium. Using herbaria as a lens, Dr. Kiahtipes will discuss the intellectual, ethical, and curatorial challenges both disciplines face—especially in the context of our digital culture. 

The following organizations will be on-site with information on their archaeology programs and how to get involved:
• Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education
• Central Florida Gulf Coast Archaeological Society
• Florida Public Archaeology Network
• University of South Florida

THE SEARCH FOR TAMPA BAY'S EARLIEST PEOPLE

AWIARE, in cooperation with the University of South Florida (USF), intends to conduct a multi-year, multi-institutional project to discover archaeological evidence of the earliest occupation of Florida’s west coast from submerged landscapes within Tampa Bay.

HELP US MEET OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL

A $12,500 grant from the Felburn Foundation and $5000 in private donations have brought us well over two-thirds of the way towards our goal of $20,000, which we intend to use to underwrite the first phase of research: to compile existing data related to now-submerged landscapes of Tampa Bay and use these data to identify locations with high preservation potential for intact archaeological deposits and important paleoenvironmental features.   The results of this initial study will lay the foundation for the next phase: to conduct remote sensing surveys and coring of potential site locations, leading, eventually, to the excavation of submerged sites.

We are reaching out to you because you have expressed interest in supporting our mission.  We hope you agree that investigating the earliest human occupation of Florida and its ancient environment is a worthwhile and significant scientific endeavor. 

We hope you will consider a tax-deductible donation to help support “The Search For Tampa Bay’s Earliest People”.

HOW TO DONATE

If you are interested in donating to AWIARE, please use the button below, or mail a check to:
Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education
c/o Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center
1500 Weedon Drive NE
St. Petersburg, FL 33702





NEWS & EVENTS

The Search for Tampa Bay’s Earliest People Project Update

The Search for Tampa Bay’s Earliest People Project Update

Current Projects, NEWS, RESEARCH
Kendal Jackson and Bob Austin have been pulling together archaeological and geological data on Tampa Bay in an effort to develop a predictive model for submerged Indigenous sites in Tampa Bay. The project is being funded by a grant the Felburn foundation and several private donations. The accompanying map is a preliminary predictive model showing […]

Michael Francis Appointed to Florida Historical Commission, Honored by the King of Spain

Michael Francis Appointed to Florida Historical Commission, Honored by the King of Spain

NEWS
A history professor known for his groundbreaking research and archival work on early Spanish Florida has been appointed to the Florida Historical Commission (FHC) by Governor Ron DeSantis. Michael Francis, the Hough Family Endowed Chair of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, was named to the commission along with four […]

HANDS-ON WEEDON

HANDS-ON WEEDON

NEWS, Past Events
AWIARE held its first Adult Archaeology Camp February 22 – 26, 2021. Eight participants spent a week of performing archaeological activities that included field and lab experiences at Weedon Island Preserve and informative site visits. The camp enjoyed great weather the entire week. Protocol was in place for Covid-19 restrictions at all times. On Monday, […]

New Radiocarbon Dates

New Radiocarbon Dates

NEWS
Being able to date archaeological sites and components are critical to documenting cultural and environmental changes through time and, more importantly, how people responded to these changes.  Research supported by the AWIARE/Levett Foundation student grant has contributed new dates for the Tampa Bay region.  University of Florida Ph.D. candidate Trevor Duke, obtained radiocarbon dates from […]

AWIARE/Friends of Weedon Island Grant

AWIARE/Friends of Weedon Island Grant

Grants, NEWS
The AWIARE Student Grants Committee selected Morgan Grieg, USFSP undergraduate student in history, to receive the 2020 AWIARE/FOWI Student Grant.  Morgan will receive $1250.00 to help support an eight-week research trip to Spain to conduct original archival research in Badajoz, Zafra, and Seville on the Hernando de Soto expedition.  Morgan is working under the supervision […]

AWIARE ENDOWMENT FUND

BE A PART
As we continue our quest to become a premiere research facility fostering scientific knowledge of our past requires expansion and growth of our current programs and facilities.

BE AN ADVOCATE 
Become part of a living time capsule.  From an individual donation to an endowment.  Each gift connects people to nature, to history, and to Tampa Bay's legacy.  A gift to the AWIARE Endowment Fund will help achieve our financial goal and support our mission of discovery, research, and education.  All gifts will grow in value through the Pinellas Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

See How What You Give Becomes Something We All Can Keep
Endowed funds provide a lasting source of support for AWIARE. Donors may give either outright or defer gifts to establish these funds.

The AWIARE Endowment Fund can be accessed via this QR code
or at pinellascf.org/AWIARE

 

FLORIDA'S WATERY REALMS

The Weedon Island Canoe is featured in a new book by University Press of Florida, Iconography and Wetsite Archaeology of Florida’s Watery Realms. The book includes a chapter written by Phyllis Kolianos and titled, “Wood Preservation Dilemmas of Florida’s Prehistoric Saltwater Sites: Key Marco and Weedon Island” which details the preservation of the canoe. This book edited by Ryan Wheeler and Joanna Ostapkowicz is part of the Ripley P. Bullen series, and explores new discoveries and reexamines existing artifacts to reveal the influential role of water in the daily lives of Florida’s early inhabitants.

To order a copy visit: www.upf.com

SPECIAL VIDEO PRESENTATION

Weedon Island Preserve, at approximately 3,700 acres, is an ecological jewel within an urban landscape on the shores of Old Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida. A refuge for native flora and fauna, Weedon Island is also one of Florida's most important cultural resources. Discover the rich human history of the Island that began thousands of years ago and witness how the environment and people support and shaped each other to produce the Preserve we know today.

This production was made possible through the support of the Friends of Weedon Island, an organization dedicated to the continuing education, protection, and preservation of the Weedon Island Preserve.