The Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) is pleased to offer an annual grant of up to $2,000 for Native American or Indigenous students and citizens and employees of Tribal Nation, Native Hawaiian Organization, or Alaska Native cultural preservation programs to attend an archaeological field school in Illinois, conduct collections research in Illinois, or to attend regional professional archaeological conferences. Additional details and instructions for application attached.

IAS Scholarship Award.pdf

The Illinois Archaeological Survey is pleased to announce two grant opportunities for 2025! A Research Grant and a Native American Scholarship Award for up to $2000 each are now available to apply for. These awards are intended to promote the documentation, interpretion, and preservation of  the archaeological resources of the State, to disseminate information about the cultural heritage of Illinois, and to encourage professional development and ethics. 

The application deadlines are May 1st and are open to anyone to apply. Please submit applications to IAS president Thomas Loebel (tjl2@illinois.edu) For more information and instructions on how to apply please see:  IAS 2025 Research GRANT .pdf  and IAS Scholarship Award.pdf

As of March 1, the SHPO has implemented the following changes to the Phase I survey guidelines including:

an increase in minimum surface visibility of 40% due to no-till agricultural practices and 5m survey interval.

At least one shovel test is to be placed in each site located to provide information on potential integrity. Photographs of representative shovel test profiles (with scale)  are to be included. 

Shovel testing required on all parcels with less than 40% surface visibility. 

Pedestrian survey in standing corn is now at every other row due to limited peripheral visibility.

No survey in mature beans.

Photos of surface conditions within project area from multiple scales and reference points keyed to a map are now required. 

Additional changes to come are still under discussion and may include:

Supplemental shovel testing for all project areas in the near future. Details regarding number per acre and under which conditions are still being discussed. 

Contacting regional archaeologist list for out-of-state/non IAS member contractors. 

guidelines can be found here:  https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnrhistoric/preserve/siteassets/pages/archaeology/archaeological-guidelines.pdf

The 68th annual meeting of the IAS has been scheduled for Sept. 20-22 in Champaign, IL. See the meeting page for more details! https://ilarchsurv.org/meeting

Reminder! Submissions for the Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) Jeanette Stephens Student Paper Award are due August 1. The Jeanette Stephens Award recognizes strong scholarship on topics concerning the archaeology of Illinois. Topics can include (but are not limited to) theoretical perspectives, artifact analyses, and methodological applications and research should concern sites in Illinois OR sites outside of Illinois that contribute to the interpretation of Illinois archaeology. There are separate competitions for graduate students and undergraduate students, and students can win up to $500! Students do not have to be members of the IAS, nor do they need to attend the IAS meeting to win, so anyone, anywhere can submit!

If you had students who worked on projects related to Illinois archaeology this year, please encourage them to submit! We accept submissions from anyone who is/was a student between Aug 1, 2022 and Aug 1, 2024. All the relevant info can be found at the following link and in the attached flyer: https://ilarchsurv.org/stephensaward

Final Notice!

2024

Illinois Association for Advancement Archaeology

Permanent Fund Grants

The IAAA Permanent Fund has been awarding annual research assistance grants since 2004. These grants are open to avocational, professional, student, and educational groups for archaeological related projects conducted within the state of Illinois. In 2024, the IAAA Permanent Fund will award up to three $400 grants. The deadline for grant applications is the end of the day, Monday, January 15, 2024. The grant guidelines and the 2024 application form can be obtained by contacting the IAAA Permanent Fund Chair at the address listed below. Note that a change has been made to our grant guidelines which affects past grant recipients. Prior grant recipients must now wait one year after their grant year before re-applying for another grant in addition to following the other grant regulations.

The IAAA Permanent Fund sustains funding for the grants through an endowment and other funds and welcomes any donations to help support this effort.

Send any questions on the grants to IAAA Permanent Fund Chair, Doug Jackson (dkjackso@illinois.edu).

2024

Illinois Association for Advancement Archaeology

Permanent Fund Grants

The IAAA Permanent Fund has been awarding annual research assistance grants since 2004. These grants are open to avocational, professional, student, and educational groups for archaeological related projects conducted within the state of Illinois. In 2024, the IAAA Permanent Fund will award up to three $400 grants. The deadline for grant applications is the end of the day, Monday, January 15, 2024. The IAAA has initiated a new website (www.iladvancearchaeo.org) and grant guidelines and the 2024 application form will soon be posted there.  If the guidelines and application form are not found within the website, they can be obtained by contacting the IAAA Permanent Fund Chair at the address listed below. Note that a change has been made to our grant guidelines which affects past grant recipients. Prior grant recipients must now wait one year after their grant year before re-applying for another grant.

The IAAA Permanent Fund sustains funding for the grants through an endowment and other funds and welcomes any donations to help support this effort.

Send any questions on the grants to IAAA Permanent Fund Chair, Doug Jackson (dkjackso@illinois.edu).

The 67th annual meeting will be held in Carbondale, Illinois, on September 22 and 23, 2023. For more details, see the Annual Meeting tab.

The 'Chip-A-Canoe' project with Larry Kinsella, Michelle Berg, and the McCully Heritage Project will be coming up this summer. Here is the original announcement.

'We are officially announcing our CHIP-A-CANOE project. The object of this project is to complete and document the construction of a dugout canoe using only stone-age tools. CHIP-A-CANOE is Larry Kinsella's dream project and the culmination of years of practice in experimental archeology of ground stone technology. The tree used for the canoe will be cut down using stone axes, adzes and celts only. And once the log is cut, the canoe will be built, again using only stone tools. The entire project will be documented through video and photographs. Each stone tool used will be cataloged and photographed, with a record of the maker of the tool.

McCully Heritage Project is providing the space, campsites, and lodging for the Chip-A-Canoe project, along with project support in any way we can. Funds from this campaign will be used for transporting the log to the McCully Heritage Project, funding the necessary insurance, and digital and photographic documentation of the project. Leftover funds once the project is complete will go toward completing an exhibit for the museum in Kampsville.

More information about Mccully Heritage Project: The mission of the McCully Heritage Project is to provide facilities and programs for high quality environmental education and research for youth and adults and to provide the opportunity for the public to appreciate the cultural, historical and natural resources of the lower Illinois River valley.' 

Attached is a pdf from Larry about the project that includes a tentative schedule, T-shirts orders, a map, and picture of the tree they will be using. Please contact Larry Kinsella for more information at megalithics@hotmail.com.

Look forward to future updates!

Chip A Canoe Project information.pdf

We are mourning the loss of our incredible colleague and Wisconsin’s State Archaeologist, Dr. James Skibo, or as we knew him, Jim.

Jim passed away on April 14, 2023, after being recovered from Lake Mendota while on a routine work-up dive preparing for the maritime archaeology season. Jim was a certified diver and qualified for the depth of the dive as well as the equipment being used.

Jim is highly regarded for his archaeological work in the Great Lakes region and beyond, and we were honored to have him join the Wisconsin Historical Society in July of 2021. In this role, he oversaw the state’s 36,000 archaeological sites and made great contributions to our mission, to our team and to advancing archaeological research in our state. Notably, his department worked in coordination with Wisconsin’s Native Nations on the historic recovery of two canoes – one 1,200 years old (800 A.D.) and the second 3,000 years old (1,000 B.C) – recovered in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Jim was a champion, leader and mentor for his team, yet always eager to learn from those around him. He was looking forward to getting back in the water with his colleagues this spring to further explore the site of the historic canoe recoveries, as he knew there are many stories yet to be shared.

Jim’s passion and enthusiasm reverberated through the halls of our organization and throughout the state. An explorer at heart, Jim traveled Wisconsin on a mission to democratize archaeology, and he loved to tell the stories of the past through the lens of the archaeological record left behind. He truly was the “People’s Archaeologist,” as he often referred to himself. His passion for the field and for the importance of uncovering, preserving and sharing history was inspirational to us all and he will be deeply missed by so many.

Prior to joining the Society, Jim was named emeritus distinguished professor of anthropology and served as department chair at Illinois State University, where he worked for 27 years. He authored and edited 11 books and reviewed dozens of peer articles on pottery, archaeological theory, and the archaeology of the Great Lakes. He also co-edited the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory for 17 years.

Jim valued his time spent working alongside William A. Longacre on the Kalinga Ethnoarchaeological Project, one of the longest-running ethnoarchaeological projects ever undertaken with research focused on pottery producers in the northern Luzon region of the Philippines. He also directed the Grand Island Archaeological Research Program since 2000 and in 2012 was presented with the Excellence in Archaeological Analysis award by the Society for American Archaeology.

We are keeping Jim’s wife, Becky, and their children, Matt and Sadie, in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time. For those looking for a way to honor Jim, his family suggests giving back to the earth that he loved and learned from.

Please join us in celebrating the life and lasting legacy of Dr. James Skibo, the People’s Archaeologist.