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The Mission of the Coosawattee Foundation
The Coosawattee Foundation, Inc. provides assistance
to human cultures seeking to protect their respective existences
or heritages through research, public policy mechanisms, and
technology systems and methods. The goal of the foundation is
to educate the public about the value of past and present Native
American cultures, to work with landowners to preserve archaeological
sites and the natural environments in the immediate vicinity
of these sites, and to persuade the public and government leaders
about the need to implement public policy mechanisms to protect
these resources. The Foundation accomplishes its mission by
raising funds from private and public sources, establishing
alliances with other private organizations, assisting in public
policy formulation, and working closely with public and private
educational institutions.
One of the major problems facing the Foundation is the protection
of irreplaceable archaeological resources and the environments
in which they occur. Archaeological resources are non-renewable,
and most of the information we obtain from these resources cannot
be gained from any other source. Modern development and suburban
sprawl is continually expanding across the natural landscape.
Thus, many tangible and intangible things may be lost. Natural
landforms that have existed for thousands or millions of years,
archaeological sites that  can
tell us how surrounding landscapes and resources have contributed
to the success or failures of past cultures, and habitats for
rare and endangered species are daily being destroyed due to
development, widespread looting activities, and indifferent
public policy.
The Coosawattee Foundation has created an intensive program
aimed at educating children and the general public about the
value of these resources and their environ- mental context.
This program currently focuses on school children from grades
7-12, but also includes younger students and also the general
public. Local schools are given the opportunity to participate
in a variety of programs. Program length varies from a one hour
in-class lecture to a full week of lecture, lab work, and actual
archaeological field work. The Coosawattee Foundation has agreements
with several landowners which allow CFI to conduct archaeological
research on their properties. This gives CFI the pleasure of
instructing students and adults alike in actual excavation techniques.
In the future the Foundation intends to offer after school programs
as well as summer field and day camps.
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