Overheard a volunteer at Mesa Verde say the pottery shards outnumber the tourists 10 to 1, now I wonder how sites stay undisturbed

She was talking about how they find new pieces every season just from rain runoff on the same 3 trails, so what actually stops people from pocketing that stuff on a busy Saturday, has anyone here dealt with site looting in a casual setting?

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anna_green4824d ago

Mesa Verde’s backcountry patrols are jokes on weekends, half the rangers are busy directing traffic at the main loop. The real stop isn’t the law, it’s that most tourists grab a sherd, feel guilty, and drop it within 20 feet. The pros know not to hit the same spot twice, they wait for the first big rain after summer crowds and pick through the fresh washouts before anyone else wakes up. One guy I knew worked the Four Corners area for years, said the actual looters don’t walk the trails at all, they climb the cliffs at night with headlamps off and target the alcoves that face away from the main viewpoints. So the shards on those 3 trails are basically bait, the real damage happens where the signs don’t point.