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Artifact looters ruin the wilderness experience for all of us

Last Monday, I went out into the red rock country west of Gunlock to research and write about day hiking in the area. I visited an old cave I knew about and have pretty much kept the location to myself. Inside the cave are a number of ancient pictographs drawn in what looks like red ochre. It would not surprise me if they predate the Anasazi.

It is remote and difficult to reach, so remote, in fact, that it is very unlikely that anyone will stumble on it without having been shown its location. It is not visible from any angle except at the entrance. You just about have to know it is there to find it.

Thus my dismay when I realized that someone has been digging around in the back. It does not have a professional look to it. Instead, it appears that there is an artifact looter on the loose. Thankfully, no one has defaced the cave drawings. I haven't a clue how old they are, but they could easily have been there for a couple of thousand years. Still, the amateur excavation is very disturbing to me. Aside from illegal, it violates a sacred trust, the sanctity of the pristine.

I decided that I would not let it go and contacted the local Bureau of Land Management office and spoke to their archaeologist regarding the matter. I gave coordinates to the site and offered to guide them in. Perhaps the site is already on their watch list, but if it wasn't it surely is now. I also sent photos and a link to the entrance plotted out on Google Earth.

I will continue to keep this location to myself otherwise, out of concern for the possibility of others doing similar things or worse.

I hope beyond hope that nothing was found. It is infuriating that someone would be able to go out and get away with looting artifacts simply because they have geography in their favor. The area is so remote and likely not widely known that no one is watching. At the very least, if officials are aware of it, they can check in once in a while and perhaps find a way to help preserve it.

There is nothing to stop the person or people from coming back and digging some more, nor is there a way to keep them from defacing the cave. That is the worst of it. Finding the damage after it is done only alerts the proper people to an ongoing problem. Someone is still attempting to profit from the possession and/or sale of illegal artifacts. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch that someone in the act someday, but it can't happen unless we are watching more closely.

It boils down to those of us who appreciate the wilderness and the unspoiled reminders of our past. If you should happen to stumble upon someone carrying away artifacts from an ancient archaeological site, at the very least get their license number. The only way to put a dent into this harmful and shameful practice is to make it very punitive to those who are caught. Notify your district BLM office. They do care and have no desire to keep you from enjoying the beauty of the area or its heritage as long as you do so responsibly.

Mitch Cole is a Beryl Junction resident. He is a member of The Spectrum & Daily News Writers Group.

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