[1] 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.
[2] By the 1970s the extent of archaeological site loss was increasing recognized as a crisis for the scientific study of the nation's past.
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 works closely with amateur and professional archaeologists, particularly State Historic Preservation Offices to identify sites worthy of acquisition.
[9] The Lamoka Lake site, New York provided the evidence establishing the existence of a pre-agricultural culture in the Northeastern United States.
[10] The Silver Mound Archaeological District, Wisconsin preserves the remains of a complex of quarry pits and associated lithic workshops where Native Americans mined Hixton Orthoquartzite over several millennia.