Ian Wright, with the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, said volunteers checked archaeological and cultural sites on Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in Utah’s West Desert during a recent field visit, and that one site “in particular has been looted and damaged in years past.”

Wright said stewards such as Katie, a new volunteer, travel to remote public lands to monitor conditions and report any damage to partner land managers. “We’re really lucky to have stewards like Katie who are willing to come all the way out here to help support these land managers,” Wright said.

Katie, introduced in the field as a new steward, said the visit was her first and described it as an opportunity to “see new unusual, historical spots and help out and give back and keep them safe for the future.”

Wright told listeners the stewardship work supports land managers who oversee large areas. He said volunteers help ensure managers are kept up to date “if any damages or changes happen,” noting that volunteers’ regular checks are “absolutely critical” for sites that have been damaged previously.

The remarks identified the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as partners on whose lands stewards are monitoring sites, and described statewide participation by stewards. No formal actions, motions, or funding details were discussed in the recorded remarks.