11 Most Endangered
Archaeological Treasures of the Colorado Plateau
Year Listed: 1995
Location: Colorado
Current Status: Favorable
Threat: Development, Poor Public Policy
A rugged expanse of dramatic beauty and rich history, the Colorado Plateau encompasses approximately 130 million acres in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. The region contains one of the world's richest concentrations of prehistoric ruins, rock art and artifacts, many of them offering clues to the lifestyles of the ancient Anasazi people, ancestors of the modern tribes that continue to populate the plateau. Unfortunately, these treasures are being destroyed: rock art is being defaced with modern graffiti, fragile archeological sites are being looted by professional pot-hunters and damage by unmanaged tourism and inappropriate development threatens to destroy the rich site.
Update
After its listing, the Clinton administration took steps to protect the area's exceptional resources by designating three new National Monuments there. A management plan is currently being drafted for one of these new monuments, Canyons of the Ancients, located on the Colorado - Utah border. This plan will address recreational, cultural and natural resources issues across this monument, which covers a significant portion of the Colorado Plateau.
