More than 90% of Texas Archeological Sites are privately owned by virtue of being located on private lands. Texas farmers and ranchers know that many of their resources - soil, grasses, timber, water, and wildlife - can be renewed with time and good stewardship.
Artifacts and archeological sites are different. Once artifacts are disturbed or removed, they are gone forever, and so is the story they tell us about our history. Collectors, dealers and looters want only one thing from landowners - access to sites so they can remove scientifically important artifacts for personal gain, not historical study.
Our archeological legacy began at least 13,000 years ago in the campgrounds and hunting sites of some of the earliest Native American inhabitants of North America, and continued in missions, battlegrounds, forts, cattle trails, and early settlements of immigrants from all over the world.
Today, archeological sites are disappearing at an estimated rate of 5,000 a year - in Texas alone. The inevitable expansion of people and industry is in part responsible, but looters and vandals are particularly destructive to sites such as rock shelters and rock art in the Lower Pecos region, burned rock middens in Central Texas, and prehistoric cemeteries in the eastern part of the state.
So what can a landowner do to preserve these pieces of the past?
Initially, protect your property. You, as a landowner, own and control archeological sites on your land. Write into grazing and hunting leases specific clauses prohibiting collection and excavation of sites by those leasees. Keep trespassers from looting by working with local law enforcement to catch and prosecute offenders. Additionally, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) staff can help you assess the situation at no charge if you suspect looting.
Stay tuned for more info on laws that protect archeological sites, designations that can assist landowners in site preservation and most importantly, a few thoughts on Texans and " This is my land and you stay the #*?# off!"
