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The American West is a treasure trove of cultural resources, a vast repository that holds the keys to the beginnings of human civilization on the continent.
But increasingly, these collections of rock art, cliff dwellings and other ancient artifacts are under threat. A new report, released today by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, says that cash-strapped federal land managers are losing the battle to identify and protect such resources, a trend that is leading to a large-scale loss of the nation's cultural heritage.
"Right now, natural and cultural resources are being damaged or destroyed by unmanaged grazing, mineral exploration, theft, vandalism and off-road vehicle use," National Trust President Richard Moe said Monday in a statement. "If action isn't taken soon to identify and preserve them, extraordinary places could be lost forever. Somewhere down the line, our children will surely look back at us and ask, 'How could you let this happen?' ''
Here's how, according to the report: The Bureau of Land Management, entrusted with the stewardship of cultural artifacts on 261 million acres - most of them in 11 Western states - has inventoried only about 17 million acres and lacks the budget to do much more than incremental surveys.
The BLM has a top-notch staff to administer its cultural-resources program, the study notes, but is woefully short of ground personnel for management and law enforcement duties. Even the premier cultural and natural resource areas managed by the agency, called the National Landscape Conservation system, "remain under-funded, inadequately protected and unknown to the vast majority of Americans," according to the report.
"The BLM has millions and millions of acres and numerous constituencies. They do a good job with the resources available. They have good people," said Duncan Metcalf, curator of the Utah Museum of Natural History. But given that the BLM oversees nearly 23 million acres in Utah with relatively few law enforcement officers, "it gives you a hint about the magnitude of the problem," he said.
Putting further pressure on the BLM's cultural resources, the report says, is the Bush Administration's quest for more and more energy development, increased off-highway vehicle activity and an agency planning process that allows the issuance of land-use permits before cultural inventories are completed.
"The BLM has always been saddled with a bifurcated and inherently conflicted mission. It is charged with allowing 'multiple use' of its lands at the same time it is charged with protecting them," Moe said.
"There's nothing wrong inherently wrong with the concept of multiple use," he said, "but it requires the recognition that some places must be set aside for preservation, not exploitation."
But the BLM says it has its priorities straight, and that cultural resources are always taken into account when leases are sold and permits are issued.
"All of our energy projects and other activities are covered by historic protection laws and surveys, and are conducted as part of the approval process," said Christine Tincher, a spokeswoman for the state BLM office.
The National Trust Study lays out a number of recommendations to arrest what it calls an alarming trend.
The report calls for cultural resources to be used as a guidepost for land use planning, rather than allowing the plan "to determine when decisions are in conflict with policy."
The study also says that cultural resource staffing should be increased so there are at least two cultural resources specialists in each field office, and a minimum of three in every state office. And that OHV permit fees, authorized by the new Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, should be retained by the agency, with the majority of the fee revenue directed toward cultural site management and protection.
Cultural resources at risk?
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has identified nine "significant" cultural resource areas in the West - including two in Utah - and why they are under threat. Some notables:
* Nine Mile Canyon: Near Price, the 70-mile long canyon is considered the longest art gallery in the world with over 10,000 Native American petroglyphs on the canyon walls. But the recent boom in oil and gas exploration and development is encroaching throughout the canyon, leading to increasing numbers of wells, pipelines, staging areas and a dramatic increase in heavy truck traffic along the canyon road.
* Cedar Mesa: Near Monticello, this 324,000-acre area has been designated for protection by the BLM to protect its cultural resources and scenic and natural values. Over 10,000 cultural resource sites have been identified despite the fact that just 5 percent of the area has been inventoried. But the Puebloan cliff dwellings, including Arch Canyon and Half Moon Ruin, are suffering from a lack of maintenance and ranger presence.
* Canyons of the Ancients National Monument: Near Dolores, Colo., this relatively small monument contains the highest known density of archeological sites in the nation, with more than 6,000 recorded, up to 100 per square mile in some places. But an increase in recreation threatens sites within the Sand Canyon area. And, because 85 percent of the monument is leased for oil and gas, development continues to increase and pressure the landscape.
* Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and Vermillion Cliffs National Monument: Near the Utah-Arizona border, remnants of human existence within the monuments' combined 2 million acres date back to 6000 B.C. The resources, over 800 and counting, remain in good condition because of access difficulties. But they are threatened by a lack of BLM staff on the ground and a new land-use plan that will leave open 1,500 miles of roads for OHV use.
* Agua Fria National Monument: Near Phoenix, the area has been designated for special protection by the BLM and contains one of the most significant complexes of late prehistoric archeological sites in the Southwest. But the growth of the Phoenix area, 50 miles away, is putting increasing pressure on the area. Visitation increased from just over 15,000 to 77,000 people per year between 2000 and 2004, without an adequate BLM presence to monitor its effects.