I have held my  tongue / finger for a while but I want to vent.

First about ten per cent of the pothunters do the most damage.

I was the president of the state society and we made a concentrated effort to 
get more involvement with avocationals before and well after my term .... 
state "do it right group" is losing members by the day and "look what I dug up" 
group getting bigger.

I Involved hunters at  sites and got back:

>The novices learned where to find more stuff....

> Learned better digging techniques so don't damage / break stuff as often...

> "Crew " came back and looted sites we were trying to preserve on private 
land....

> Local guys with high tech equipment were caught looting  CW site on State 
property the biggest fear was that a felony conviction could cause them to lose 
the rights to go on organized digs here and in the UK... more worry than 
losing money and boat......

> Biggest hunter in area is a drug dealer......covicted in another state and 
warrants out here....

>Land owners letting  hunters on land to get rid of the buarials and 
artifacts so they do not have to worry about the resources when applying for permits 
or dealing with the state burial law......

>Law enforcement has borrowed surface and non associated finds from 
unidentified sites to use to gain access to groups of both drugs trafficers and game 
poachers.


I can remember days with the NPS when they would come on sites at night with 
black out tents. 

I can also remember when some parks were hit so staffs would be pulled off 
and busy and a second group would come in and get enough stuff to pay all fines 
and make a profit.

Hunting is about as old as antiquity itself. The archaeological community 
will not stop it, it will continue as long as the US "I got mine " mentality 
exists. Only when there is an onus placed by society in addition to the law will 
there be changes. 

Jim Parker