In a message dated 3/14/2006 10:43:29 AM Mountain Standard Time, 
[log in to unmask] writes:

> RE site security.  At one urban site with a lot of public interest and no 
> real barriers around our site we contacted the local historical society.  
> They 
> took shifts, moved in a motor home and stayed on site through the night and 
> weekends for the two weeks we were excavating.  I understand they had a BBQ 
> out 
> there on weekends and a lottery to see who was the fortunate one to camp out 
> on 
> site and protect it.  This was on property owned by a City and the City 
> agreed 
> and covered liability.  It worked out great with no problems and didn't cost 
> 
> me or the City (my client) anything.  As an aside, they also provided site 
> docents during our excavation.  I would talk to the docent every hour or so 
> and 
> fill them in on what we were doing and finding.  They then dealt with all 
> the 
> general public who wandered up with questions.  They provided historical 
> research for "their site" and passed that on to the public.  It worked 
> really well. 
> 
> On another site in the same City I hired a security firm and paid for a 
> private security guard 12 hours a night at $14/hour.  We also had temporary 
> chain 
> link fencing around the entire block.  I came in one morning and found a 
> feature that we exposed at the end of the day and left open had been totally 
> dug out 
> over night and everything whole taken.  Turned out the security guard was a 
> pothunter and spent the 12 hour shift happily using our shovels and screens 
> to 
> dig out the feature.  He dumped his goods at his girlfiend's house and 
> skipped 
> town.  The security company filed a police report and it turned into a 
> formal 
> investigation.  After many months I received a box of bottles that may or 
> may 
> not have come from the site and the guard lost his job and had to pay a $400 
> 
> misdemeanor fine.  go figure.
> 
> Mary L. Maniery
> PAR Environmental Services, Inc.
> 

Interesting ideas, Mary.  We thought about the security guard idea, but 
didn't feel that GSA would pay for it.  What a mess that must have been for you.  
$400 eh? That may have helped pay for part of the court costs.  

We also had a thought about city responsibilities as Certified Local 
Governments (CLGs).  Maybe someone else can speak to this.  The idea is that if a city 
or county is a CLG and, as a certified government, receives grant money from 
the Federal government to carry out preservation projects within their 
community, are they not then also responsible to uphold Federal preservation laws and 
regulations, i.e. Section 106, NAGPRA, etc>  So, in so doing, should they not 
take steps to stop pothunting and other vandalism on sites within their 
jurisdiction?  

Mike Polk
Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
Ogden, Utah