Hiking the remote dirt roads of Caja del Rio in a jeep on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Gary Newgent and John Pitts exchanged stories of discovering isolated canyons in the Southwest as they drove through the volcanic plateau, where each spent hundreds of hours surveying archaeological sites.
Curiosity draws both men deeper and deeper into the Four Corners region as their passion for archeology grows. Steward organizations have provided them with a gateway to knowledge and discovery, and they have spent the last few decades immersing themselves in their volunteer efforts to monitor fascinating cultural and historical resources across the region.
“Isn’t it funny? No one is here. You have the whole place to yourself,” Newgent said from an elevated vantage point that offered a sweeping view of the rocky plateau west of Santa Fe.
Experienced stewards speak highly of their role—appreciating time spent outdoors in beautiful landscapes, the bonds they have formed with each other, and the history of humanity on earth.
Newgent said he also values the sense of purpose that comes from investing time to help preserve and protect these rich resources.
Caja del Rio is an area that is subject to threats to natural and cultural resources from activities including illegal dumping, senseless recreational shootings by some users, and vehicles leaving authorized roads.
In January 2022, there was also a high-profile destruction of the centuries-old petroglyphs of La Cieneguilla. Smaller acts of vandalism in this place take place regularly.
Dozens of trained volunteers across the state provide additional field control for land management agencies that have limited staff to handle large tracts of land, such as the 100,000-acre Caja del Rio. Stewards regularly visit sites that have been identified as very important or sensitive to check for disturbances and provide reports to the agency’s archaeologists.
In the process, stewards can gain a solid understanding of the cultural assets they spend their time guarding.
“When you join the stewards, you get a real education,” said Pitts, 77, a self-proclaimed rock art fanatic who has been with the National Forest Site Stewards in Santa Fe for 22 years. “I have never studied archeology or anthropology in my life; now I give lectures on rock art everywhere. I have lectured as far away as Italy and South Africa to talk about American Rock Art throughout the Southwest.
“There are (are) many opportunities to learn about archeology and then pass it on.”
Pitts and Newgent are two of about eight active stewards who monitor the grounds in the Caja del Rio section of the Santa Fe National Forest. They are also involved in monitoring sites for SiteWatch in New Mexico, a separate entity managed by the State Department of Cultural Affairs’ Historic Preservation Division that covers seven chapters from Las Cruces to Taos.
SiteWatch stewards monitor sites on land managed by agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, State Land Office, Santa Fe County Open Space, Trails and Parks, and non-profit organizations such as the Archaeological Conservancy.
Kathi Kramer Turner is the Heritage program manager and archaeologist at the Santa Fe National Forest, which is the agency’s point of contact with the Santa Fe National Forest site stewards. She said there are about 12,000 registered cultural resource sites in the forest, although not all of the approximately 1.6 million acres of forest have been inventoried.
Turner said the cultural resources range from the area’s earliest Paleo and archaic occupation of the area to historic ranches, mines and logging sites dating back centuries.
The forest-managed lands are significant and sacred to many New Mexico tribes and pueblos, and much of the cultural resources in the forest are ancestral sites. There are also historical sites from the time of the first European inhabitants of the region.
Sites can range from ancient garbage piles called Middens and lithic clusters where tools were made, to pueblo settlements and stone shrines.
Bob Florek, chairman of the National Forest Site Stewards in Santa Fe, said there are about 100 sites that have been identified by the forest heritage program as important or sensitive enough to merit regular visits.
The site manager group covers six forest areas – Gallina, Jemez, Rio Chama, Garcia (near Los Alamos), Caja del Rio and Pecos/Las Vegas, NM – with each area having a team leader to coordinate operations. Florek estimated that there are 80 to 90 active members who, in teams of two, visit their assigned locations every month or two.
Stewards are required to complete a training program to learn proper site inspection and reporting protocol. They must also follow a code of conduct to comply with conservation ethics and the law.
The collection of any artifacts is prohibited, and site changes to state or federal land, including improvement and maintenance activities, are not permitted without the written consent and specific direction of the land managers.
There are also confidentiality guidelines that prohibit publicly disclosing site locations and sharing site information and photos.
There are several couples who monitor sites together, but site locations should not be shared with family members, friends, or other stewards who don’t usually monitor a site if it’s an area the public wouldn’t be aware of.
“These places are on public land; anyone can visit them, but we don’t want to advertise their location,” said Florek, who monitors the location in the Rio Chama area with his wife, Carolyn. “It’s not like they’re top secret, but we don’t want to increase traffic.”
What registers as a site disruption can be wide-ranging, said New Mexico SiteWatch coordinator Jessica Badner.
There are actions that have clearly evil intentions, such as the destruction of rock art or looting. There are natural hazards such as erosion. There are also problematic activities that people may not realize are harmful.
This may include people moving rocks to build mounds, not realizing that the rocks being moved are part of an archaeological site.
Collecting pottery shards and artifacts at a site and stacking them prominently is a common occurrence. While people may think they are helping future visitors, this is problematic as it removes valuable context for artifacts at the site that could help archaeologists piece together a story.
“One person doing this has little impact,” Badner said, “but when you get a site that gets a lot of traffic, that impact is exponential.”
Determining whether there are archaeological sites in certain areas can be difficult as they can sometimes blend into the land. People may not realize that something like a pile of stones could be part of an ancestral Puebloan temple. And when people leave official roads and make their own paths, they can pass through important places.
Cutting fences is another harmful activity. Fences were sometimes erected to protect sites. Breaks in the fence can allow vehicles or grazing cattle to enter and cause damage.
If the site manager reports disturbances in the Santa Fe National Forest, Turner said Heritage Forest staff will travel to the site to document it. You can then contact a law enforcement officer.
Depending on the disturbance and age of damage at the site, the heritage officer and staff may work together to see if the breach falls under the Archaeological Resources Conservation Act or theft of government property to determine if there is an official case.
Turner said Heritage staff would produce a damage assessment report and identify any restorations that might be needed. Depending on the type of site and affiliation, affiliated tribes or pueblos may be contacted to bring in a tribal heritage conservation officer to assess the damage.
It may take some time to reach the sites. Most require a high-clearance vehicle to traverse primitive roads. Moderately strenuous hiking may also be necessary.
Badner said some places are very remote and could take up most of the day for stewards.
Pitts and Newgent don’t mind the job. They don’t seem to get enough.
Pitts monitors sites in both Caja del Rio and Bandelier National Monument, and leads the petroglyph survey and recording teams for the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project near Velarde.
Newgent monitors the San Marcos Pueblo south of Santa Fe along NM 14 for SiteWatch and is also a field team leader for Caja del Rio for the National Forest Site Stewards Santa Fe. He said he and his wife Shelley also travel to Utah several times a year to monitor four sites around the Bears Ears National Monument.
Like Pitts, Newgent’s education did not include archaeology. But now, he said, that’s where he finds a great purpose.
Newgent serves as vice president of the New Mexico Archaeological Society. He is also the founder and president of the Site Steward Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support the preservation, preservation, monitoring, education, and research of archaeological, historical, and cultural resources in the Four Corners region.
“My wife was interested in archaeology. I enjoyed trout fishing and hiking,” said Newgent. “She always wanted to be an archaeologist. She’d always liked it; then she met me. Now I am the vice president of ASNM. She said, “You’ve really come a long way, Gary.” I say, “I know, I’m exaggerating a bit, aren’t I?” I just enjoy organizing things and trying to help.”