LAND LETTER: Looting of artifacts rampant in economic downturn
(09/26/2008)

(Embedded image moved to file: pic13079.gif)Greenwire.com 9/26/08


From Mimbres pottery in New Mexico to Civil War bullets in Georgia,
public treasures are being stripped from public lands across the
country. In the past 10 years, there have been 9,640 reported incidents
of looting and vandalism of cultural resources, according to federal
records.


But the culprits are unknown, and Mark Hungerford, an archaeologist with
the Bureau of Reclamation, said it is unlikely that they will ever be
caught, or even identified. It is also unlikely that any artifacts that
were taken will ever be found.


The abundance of artifacts on federal lands, the low risk of getting
caught and the high prices pots, baskets, tools and even human bones can
fetch on the art market have made looting an increasing problem on
public lands -- particularly in these difficult economic times.