The CWVA is a body of professionals who practice archaeology within West Virginia and the surrounding border areas of neighboring states. Most archaeologists practicing in the United States are trained within the academic discipline of anthropology; however, membership is also open to professionals practicing in allied disciplines, such as history or the environmental/geo-sciences. Membership is open to practitioners from the academic, commercial, and government/non-government public sectors. All of our members, including our board of directors, are unpaid volunteers. Our membership dues are kept low; however, our members' annual dues contributions typically form the largest segment of our available programming budget for the year. 

The Council for West Virginia Archaeology (CWVA) promotes understanding of the region’s archaeological past, highlighting its scientific, educational, and cultural significance. 

CWVA brings together archaeologists across universities, government, and the private sector, while keeping the public and policymakers informed about professional practice and preservation.

CWVA Informs federal, state, and local governments, as well as the broader public, about matters related to the professional conduct of archaeology, and advocates for the preservation of archaeological sites so they may be studied and appreciated by future generations.

CWVA works alongside stakeholders including Native Nations and descendent communities to protect archaeological sites and collections, and strives to honor those relationships through respectful collaboration and stewardship.

The Council for West Virginia Archaeology (CWVA) is a West Virginia corporation, operating as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit scientific research and public education organization. The CWVA was founded in 1985, and became a non-profit in 1992. In 2022, the CWVA joined the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), as an Affiliated Society. 

We follow the RPA in their concern not only for the conservation of our shared archaeological resources and the general quality of research being applied to those archaeological resources, but also their concern that the discipline of archaeology be an inclusive, safe working environment for all archaeological practitioners, as embodied in the Code of Conduct (PDF).