Duffus, James III, et al. 1987. Cultural Resources: Problems Protecting and Preserving Federal Archaeological Resources. Washington, D.C.: United States General Accounting Office. 131 pp.

RELEVANT TO: CULTURAL RESOURCES

PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES

ROADS/OFF-ROAD VEHICLES

DESCRIPTION

Concerned about federal agencies' ability to protect and ensure the preservation of archaeological resources, the Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks, and Forests, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, asked the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to determine (1) to what extent the resources are being looted, (2) what federal agencies are doing to protect the resources, and (3) what the agencies are doing to ensure that the artifacts being removed are properly preserved . This report documents their findings.

MAJOR FINDINGS

The archaeological resources of the Four Corners states continue to be lost and destroyed as a result of looting and that inadequate care is being provided to some of the artifacts removed from federal lands.

Although the federal agencies reviewed have identified only a small portion (about 7 percent) of the archaeological sites they estimate are located on their lands, they have been unable to curb the looting and destruction of even the identified resources .

The federal agencies do not have complete and accurate records on what artifacts have been removed from their lands or where these artifacts are located. Moreover, they have not been assessing the adequacy of the facilities caring for the artifacts. Officials at some facilities told GAO that they have deficiencies related to the management, storage, and care of artifacts.

Looters are destroying valuable scientific information at archaeological sites.

When an agency steps up its enforcement efforts, commercial looters shift their activities to other agencies' lands or other geographic areas. According to knowledgeable federal and state officials, BLM and FS lands have experienced high levels of commercial looting; NPS has experienced little commercial looting .

Funding and staffing constraints, together with the vastness of the area's federal lands, limit physical protection to only a small portion of the known sites. In fiscal year 1985, the three agencies had only three staff members whose primary duty was protecting sites on over 104 million acres.

The 3 agencies had surveyed less than 6 percent of their lands to identify sites and had located only about 136,000 (7 percent) of the 2 million sites thought to be located on their lands.

Most recent archaeological surveys have been performed to obtain clearances for development projects and were not necessarily directed at those areas having the greatest archaeological potential .

GAO found that the agencies were doing little to ensure that the artifacts removed from their lands and sent to curatorial facilities were accounted for and being properly preserved. BLM and FS lacked information on many artifacts excavated prior to the mid-to-late 1970s. NPS estimates that it has 15.5 million uncatalogued artifacts located in both federal and nonfederal facilities .

QUESTIONS RAISED FOR THE THREE FORESTS

  1. Does the Forest have any documentation that provides evidence as to the amount of looting that is or is not occurring on the Forest?
  2. What percentage of the Forest has been surveyed for archaeological resources?
  3. What percentage of the archaeological work being conducted is compliance, as opposed to proactive?
  4. Approximately what FTE is provided to protection of archaeological resources?
  5. What measures have been undertaken to limit looting?
    1. Have more law enforcement officers been hired?
    2. Have more educational programs been implemented?
    3. Has access to remote sites been limited to increase protection?

RELEVANCE TO FOREST MANAGEMENT

Management measures need to indicate how irreplaceable archaeological resources will be protected.

Access to archaeological resources needs to be limited to the degree that the Forest is not able to monitor those resources and provide effective enforcement.