Stewardship

Monitoring sites — a citizen’s role

March 2024·Friends of Cedar Mesa·3 min read

Most archaeological sites in canyon country see no government employee in any given year. What watching they get, they get from visitors.

What monitoring actually is

In archaeology, “monitoring” means systematically observing a site over time and recording what has changed. The job is straightforward in principle and demanding in practice: you visit a site on a known schedule, photograph the same features from the same angles, take notes on visible disturbance, and submit your observations to the agency or research institution that maintains the record.

Across the canyon country, federal and tribal agencies are responsible for thousands of recorded sites and the actual staff to visit them is small. Trained citizen monitors — visitors who have completed orientation, who follow a protocol, and who report regularly — are part of how those sites stay watched.

What it is not

It is not “exploring.” It is not photography for personal use. It is not visiting sites and posting them online. The monitor does not publish site locations, does not post visit-day photographs to social media, and does not lead visitors to undocumented places. The single most damaging thing a would-be steward can do is broadcast.

What it asks of you

Training. Real monitoring programs require an orientation that covers site recording standards, what to look for, what to photograph, how to handle sensitive cultural and burial features, and how to report.
Time, predictably. A monitor returns. Single visits do not produce useful data. The value is in the comparison across years.
Restraint. A monitor does not pick up artifacts. Does not “stabilize” features. Does not rebuild collapsed walls. They observe and report.
Discretion. Monitors learn site locations that are not public knowledge. That information stays with them and with the agency.

How to start

If this kind of work interests you, the right first step is contacting the agency or research institution that manages sites in the area you visit. The Bureau of Land Management’s local field office can usually point a serious volunteer to an active program. Several non-profit research organizations — the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, regional university anthropology departments — run formal citizen-monitoring programs that include training.

This is not a casual commitment. It is also not glamorous. It is, however, one of the most directly useful things a person who loves canyon country can do for it.

If you witness damage as a casual visitor You don’t need to be a trained monitor to report what you see. Note the location as precisely as you can — GPS coordinates if possible, otherwise a clear description. Photograph the disturbance from a distance. Do not interact with anyone you find at the scene. Report to the BLM, NPS, or local sheriff. A single report from an ordinary visitor has, on several occasions, led to a successful prosecution.