With just a handful of federal agents patrolling
millions of square miles of the West, it’s not surprising that
looting and vandalism of Indian artifacts are rampant. But with
budget cuts portending even less money for enforcement, where will
help on the ground come from? One answer is from volunteers, people
who give their time because they love the heritage of the West and
hate seeing it deteriorate. One of the most successful programs
comes from Arizona’s Parks Department, where resource protection
specialist Mary Estes has trained 500 volunters as site stewards.
They document and photograph unrecorded ancient ruins, monitor
remote archaeological sites and report vandals. In Nevada, Keith
Myhrer, an archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Las
Vegas, has been working closely with members of the Southern Nevada
Rock Art Enthusiasts. He trains the club’s members to monitor
sites, and to speak to visitors about the significance of the
archaeological record. Education, says Myhrer, is the most
effective deterrent to vandalism. For more information about
helping federal or state agencies as a volunteer,
contact:
Arizona: Gary Stumpf, BLM, 602/650-5501;
Mary Estes, Arizona Parks Department’s Site Steward Program,
602/542-4174;
Colorado: Rick Athearn, BLM,
303/239-3735; Louann Jackson, Anasazi Heritage Center,
970/882-4811; Larry Riggs, Colorado Archaeological Society,
303/449-2852;
Idaho: Dan Hutchinson, BLM,
208/384-3348; Lynn McDonald, Bureau of Reclamation, 208/378-5316;
Mary Anne Davis, Idaho Historical Society,
208/334-3847;
Montana: Gary Smith, BLM,
406/255-2939; Mike Andrews, Bureau of Reclamation, 406/247-7315;
Ken Feyhl, Montana Archaeological Society,
406/656-2583;
Nevada: Pat Barker, BLM,
702/785-6452; Keith Myhrer, BLM, 702/647-5079; Don Hendricks,
Southern Nevada Rock Art Enthusiasts,
702/878-4420;
New Mexico: Steve Fosberg, BLM,
505/438-7415; Paul Williams, BLM,
505/758-8851.
Oregon: Richard Hanes, BLM,
503/683-6669; Jim Keyser, USFS, 503/326-6711; Ron Sanders,
503/747-0068;
Utah: Garth Portillo, BLM,
801/539-4276; Dale Davidson, BLM (San Juan),
801/587-2141;
Washington: Rich Bailey, BLM:
509/536-1217; Daniel Mattson, USFS, 509/447-7336; Bill Betz, Pend
Oreille Anthropological Society,
509/447-2750;
Wyoming: Mike Bies, BLM,
307/347-9871; Rick Laurent, USFS, 307/674-2619; Glenn Sweem,
Wyoming Archaeological Society,
307/674-8659;
California: Eric Ritter, BLM,
916/224-2100; University Research Expeditions Program, Berkeley,
415/642-6586.
* Ron Sanders
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Do-it-yourself preservation.
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