ARM Training
Due to Florida's long-term and successful environmental lands acquisition program, the preservation and protection of many archaeological sites rest with public land managers. As part of responsible management required by state and /or federal laws, land managers and those involved in the decision-making process should be aware of the types of archaeological resources in their stewardship and should be knowledgeable of the best management practices for these sites. In response to the growing need to assist land managers in protecting cultural resources, the Bureau of Archaeological Research (BAR), in conjunction with the Florida Park Service, developed Archaeological Resource Management (ARM) training to assist state land managers with management of the state's irreplaceable archaeological resources, which include pre-European mound sites, villages, and camps, colonial settlements, battlefields, and submerged sites. ARM training is available to those who work on state lands including Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida Forest Service (FFS), and Florida Park Service (FPS) staff.
The ARM training course introduces state land managers to the nature of archaeological resources, Florida archaeology, and the role of the Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and Bureau of Archaeological Research in management of state-owned archaeological resources. Participants will gain a better understanding of the requirements of State laws with regard to protecting and managing archaeological sites on state managed lands. They also will become more aware of the historic properties and archaeological sites that they manage. Those who take the training will receive a certificate recognizing their ability to conduct limited monitoring activities in accordance with review and compliance recommendations, thereby reducing the time and money spent to comply with state regulations. We have streamlined the compliance and review process and simplified the "Matrix" used to help land managers make decisions about balancing ground disturbances and stewardship of historic sites.
Naturally, our training courses are always evolving; anticipate more revisions and updates in the coming year. We will make you aware of changes as they slowly become incorporated into procedure, but until then, note that newly-trained ARM Monitors hold the most up-to-date information. To ensure that those who manage state lands are up to date on ARM, DHR has implemented a 5/10 policy. A refresher course is required every five years to continue certification. DHR strongly encourages Certified Arm Monitors to take the full ARM training class every 10 years.
Webinars
ARM training has now transitioned to a webinar-based course, which saves time and money for those responsible for cultural resources on state lands who otherwise would have to travel to regional training locations. Full training consists of a full-day webinar and refresher courses are half-day webinars.
Webinars will be available quarterly and announcements for each quarterly training will be sent to the training managers of the Florida Forest Service, Florida Park Service, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Each announcement will provide a link to the registration form for that specific webinar. If you wish to be sent an announcement for the next available training, please contact your training manager or Public Lands Archaeology Staff at [email protected] or 850-245-6318.
The Matrix
Information about the Matrix can be found at this link:
DHR Matrix for Ground Disturbance on State Lands
Only individuals that have received ARM training and are Certified ARM Monitors are allowed to use the Matrix when planning for ground-disturbing activities or for archaeological monitoring requested by Compliance and Review. ARM training is provided only by the Division of Historical Resources. Please direct questions to Public Lands Archaeology Staff at [email protected] or 850-245-6318.
