The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological resources on private land are the private property of the landowner. As a result, archaeological sites in the United States are subject to destruction by urban development and sprawl, mechanized agricultural and land-leveling, and commercial looting to fuel the antiquities trade. By the 1970s the extent of archaeological site loss was increasing recognized as a crisis for the scientific study of the nation's past. History, organization and means of operation The Conservancy was established in 1979 by Mark Michel, who continues to serve as its president; California businessman Jay Last; and archaeologist Steven A. LeBlanc using $300,000 in start-up funds from the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The organization received a boost in stature and fund-raising ability in 1982 when former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall joined its board of directors, where he served until his death in 2010. The organization is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but also operates regional offices in Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio,