What is HMS Florida? FAQs
Heritage Monitoring Scouts, or HMS Florida for short, is a statewide citizen science program, managed by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, that focuses on tracking changes to archaeological sites at risk. The program is particularly focused on sites impacted by climate change in the form of erosion and sea level rise. The public is encouraged to apply to the program to help collect data and photos from sites around the state. This information is compiled in the HMS Florida Arches database, which is available to researchers, land managers and others to aid in making management and mitigation decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Anyone can become an HMS Florida scout! We do require all applicants to agree to abide by our ethics statement. We also require parental consent for minors to participate.
You can find the scout application on the HMS Florida website. Submitting an application will also create an Arches account for you. Please note: you must click the link in the welcome email to activate your account. We also recommend completing the scout profile in the Arches database as this allows us to add sites to monitor to your account. Click here to learn more about signing up and completing your Arches account.
We strongly encourage scouts attend a training day, workshop, organized monitoring day or other FPAN-led event to learn the basics of the program. During these events, FPAN staff will provide crucial information including an overview of archaeology in Florida, common artifact identification, ethics and laws protecting resources, and HMS Florida monitoring protocols. If you are unable to attend an event, or there is not one scheduled near you, please review all of the resources available online and reach out to your local FPAN representatives for assistance in getting started.
Monitoring sites is fun and simple. You visit a site, fill out the monitoring form and take photos, and then enter the monitoring information and upload the photos into the Arches database. Check out this blog (link coming soon!) for a how-to on filling out the monitoring form!
The HMS Florida Arches Monitoring Database contains over 42,000 historic resources from throughout Florida! All accounts automatically include many historic structures, recorded historic cemeteries, and a selection of archaeological sites that are open to and interpreted for the public. You can monitor any site in your account. As we work with you, we may add more archaeological sites to your account.
We always recommend checking with the property owners of the sites you want to visit to gain permission to access the site. For public lands, check with the land managers to let them know you intend to monitor while visiting.
If you completed a scout application after July 2020, you have an account in the Arches database. If you applied for the program before this, you may not. You can contact the HMS Florida database manager at hmsflorida@fpan.us if you have questions. You also have to activate your account to log in. Please check your inbox and spam folder for the welcome email.
The Arches database provides users with locations, background information, and previous reports and photos of archaeological sites, historic structures and historic cemeteries. Users must log into the database to add or modify scout reports. The basic interface includes a map that works much like Google Maps with a search bar to look up sites by name or site number. Click here for a more complete set of instructions on how to navigate the database, or click here to learn how to log a scout report.
Why can't I see all of the archaeological sites in Arches?
Information in the Florida Master Site File - the State's inventory of historic resources used in creating the Arches database - is exempt from Sunshine Laws. This means that information on resources such as location and site descriptions is not openly available to the public. Furthermore, some land managing agents do not wish to share site information to protect the sites or to protect visitors from venturing into unsafe environments. We work with the State and many land managing agencies to provide a list of sites for the public to monitor safely, as well as to add additional sites to individual accounts as requested. You can contact your local FPAN representative to inquire about having more sites assigned to your account.
Most FPAN offices across the state hold monthly monitoring events for any interested scout. You can check our website or the monthly scout update emails for a list of events near you. Additionally, you can reach out to your local FPAN representative if you are interested in scheduling something at a specific site in your area.