LAS VEGAS -- Prehistoric and historic archaeological sites are being vandalized and looted in Nevada.

Rock art sites are spray-painted with graffiti and illegally taken from federal public lands on a regular basis.

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is seeking to increase its number of volunteers, especially in rural areas, to help combat the destruction and aid in the preservation of historic sites.

"If something isn't done to stop the damage and educate the public about the importance of cultural resources, Nevada's historical heritage will rapidly vanish and prehistoric archaeological evidence will be lost forever," said Sali Underwood, the recently appointed site stewardship coordinator for the SHPO.

Because of the rapid increase in Nevada's population, there has been a marked increase in the damage to cultural resources on federal public lands. Nevadans may not be aware that their recreational activities can damage fragile archaeological sites, or that it is against the law to pick up and take home ancient Native American artifacts.

This increased visitation to public lands has overwhelmed federal archaeologists and law enforcement officers. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and the National Park Service (NPS) have joined with the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office to create a statewide volunteer site stewardship program.

The SHPO trained site stewards are the new eyes and ears for the public land management agencies.

Stewards currently monitor many sites in Clark and Washoe Counties. "Though this is good for highly impacted urban areas surrounding Las Vegas and Reno, there is still a need for volunteer stewardship in the other 95 percent of Nevada's public lands," according to Underwood. "We need volunteer site stewards to work in places like Nye, Churchill, and Mineral counties; as well as from within the local communities of rural Nevada."

Site stewards attend a free seven-hour SHPO site stewardship classroom training covering historic preservation and archaeological laws, site etiquette and safety, and four hours of on-the-ground field training before they are assigned to monitor the condition of an archaeological site.

The volunteers visit their site at least four times a year and report their findings to the archaeologist for the public lands agency. This information is then used to help manage the cultural resources located on public lands.

The State Historic Preservation Office is an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. The department serves Nevada's citizens and visitors through cultural and information management, presentation and promotion of cultural resources, and education.

The department also includes the Division of Museums and History, Nevada State Library and Archives, Nevada Arts Council, Comstock Historic District Commission, and the Commission for Cultural Affairs. For more information on the site stewardship program, call Sali Underwood at 702-486-5011, or visit the department's Web site at www.NevadaCulture.org.