Important question from Admins.

[Hoss]

I have a question for you all and this pertains to the recent News Article on KATV 7 in Arkansas.  If you have not seen the article, here is the link.
http://www.katv.com/story/25337079/d...ting-and-drugs
If you could voice your concern or an opinion to a politician or a law maker about responsible collecting and your own ethics and beliefs about our hobby and how press like this hurts us. What would you say? I am looking for comments and Concerns about the future of our great hobby.
I know this is in the wrong section. If you would like to make an anonymous comment to me please feel free to contact me directly at  Matt@arrowheads.com
Thanks Hoss

[tomclark]

I'd like to know how and why they picked Arrowheads.com as the poster boy for this article!!!!???????
Doesn't make sense, this is a good site.  There are other sites that are pretty much unabashed unethical collecting and selling but this ain't one of them.
The author is really stupid, didn't do his/her homework, or has an agenda against this particular board/website, should put any blame for such activities where they belong, on one or more of those other sites!

[rixdafix]

Law breakers, disasters, illnesses, war. That's what sells and always gets reported first.
It would be nice if they would also report on what a great hobby this can be when practiced ethically.
I've spent countless hours with friends and family hiking creeks and gravel bars looking for artifacts.
It's great exercise, relaxing, an excellent way to spent quality time with children and can be very rewarding.
The few nice artifacts I've found are treasures and I would never sell them but that's not really the point.
I personally contacted several state and local agencies regarding the spots I wanted to hunt just to make sure I was staying within the boundaries of the law.
If the people who reported this would spend a little time looking at some of the previous posts in the forum at Arrowheads.com, they would realize that ethical collecting is always reinforced.
Watch someone post a picture of something they dug out of a cave and see how many people ask them if they had permission to be there.
I know of a cave and two small mounds (in parks) where I'm sure there are artifacts but will never touch them for numerous reasons. Getting caught is not one of those reasons. I know I could sneak in and do whatever I wanted but that wouldn't be right.
I specifically collect artifacts from waterways because the artifacts have been washed out of context and don't provide much useful historical data. This is very different from finding artifacts in protected environments such as caves where artifacts are preserved and important details can be gathered.
It is important to protect these areas not just for the historical data but also for future generations to enjoy.
It is also important not to group all "collectors" together with the few unscrupulous "hunters" who are only looking for a fast buck, be it for profit or drug money. That is not to say that selling artifacts for profit is wrong. Only if the artifacts were taken illegally or unethically would I consider it wrong.
If the media will not be responsible enough to report the entire story, it could jeopardize a wonderful hobby that many people enjoy.

[CMD]

http://treasurebusiness.org/2014/04/28/artifact-arrowhead-and-relic-collecting-outlawed-how-social-media-is-working-against-the-hobby-expeditionhistory-org/

[JoshinMO]

Those pics are something Charlie. Anyway, other than them mentioning arrowheads.com and the other site this is decade plus old news............

[rockdigger]

Most of the caves on the buffalo got dug out many years ago and the few that haven't been dug out are cause nobody knows they are there. Oh yeah I guess I should state that I live just north of the buffalo.

[gregszybala]

CMD wrote:

http://treasurebusiness.org/2014/04/...onhistory-org/

  There have been discussions about this site and the person who created it on other sites on Facebook. Folks in general don't seem to happy with this guy. :dunno:

[chase]

Mr. Congress person, There is a small group of avocational enthusiasts that are involved in the preservation of prehistorically history of the Americas. They collectively have advanced the understanding of the peopling of what is understood about the Americas in this last century. Through these efforts of exploration, the professionals of the archaeology community, have made strides that otherwise would be grossly underfunded and fundamentally still in its infancy of understanding. It has been said that our group destroys that history, but quite the contrary, this group has been the key instrumental force on preserving and promoting with education. What society has slowly become "when convenient", support and protect, but yet does nothing, when it’s in the name of progress. We build roads, plow fields, dam up rivers, and build cities/towns all of which are far more destructive, to the point of obliteration. There is little to no regard when such progress has a majority voice, but that same voice holds in contempt those that seek to preserve what would be inevitably be erased for all of mankind. We are not choirboys/girls and we do have our own unscrupulous element that hangs around the fringes. There are the forgers, the illegal collectors, the scammers, you will always have that where money is involved. An analogy of say the automobile industry like used cars you have that same element of buying and selling of cars. It has been regulated, but still misrepresentation is still a part of that industry. The buying and selling and the stealing, it’s all there but has the whole is above board. You don't condemn them all for what a select few deem acceptable behavior.
Those are a few thoughts….. I will be adding more when I give this some more thought.

[Hoss]

This story references  in the third paragraph the sites would have been bull dozed to make wal marts.

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/tech/2014/04/28/hunting-camp-lake-huron/8113975/

It supports what Chase speaks about in his post. I have seen this all too often Urban sprawl does more damage to historical sites than any ethical collectors have ever done.

[turkeytail]

[QUOTE]gregszybala wrote:

http://treasurebusiness.org/2014/04/28/artifact-arrowhead-and-relic-collecting-outlawed-how-social-media-is-working-against-the-hobby-expeditionhistory-org/

  There have been discussions about this site and the person who created it on other sites on Facebook. Folks in general don't seem to happy with this guy. :dunno:
  He is a spoiled little rich boy with a vendetta.... :angry:

[JoshinMO]

Sometimes I dont bring camera, my choice..
And, about 1/3 of my insitus look like the points were just laid on the ground, but they werent.

[chase]

The thing that has nagged me since I first saw the article and vid. They talk about the meth heads selling their illegally gotten artifacts on Arrowheads.com. The thing is to become a dealer you have to pay for a e-store front with a credit card. If they are digging to support their addiction, they most likely don't have a credit card. and if they had the money to open up a store they would have spent it on the drug first. Since members don't sell on the forum, the only avenue would be the stores. With having to sign up for the AACA before being able to sell I just don't see that happening. May be we banned him for being an A..hole.

[gunbunny]

I guess what I would say is that we are simply a group of people with a shared interest who use this forum to advance our hobby by learning from educating each other and promoting ethical behavior in our hobby because unethical behavior makes us all look bad and it is just fodder for the media. Maybe the media could ask long time collector and  former president Jimmy Carter about our community or would they just write him off as another artifact stealing meth head. you will have to excuse me now my wife said to get off of my soap box and come eat dinner. :lol:

[rixdafix]

Look at all the history that has been shared on this site for the whole world to see. Someone finds an artifact and post it on the site. Most of the time we immediately know the county and state where it was found as well as what type of environment (creek, field, etc.). Discussions begin as to how old, what culture, what material and so on and so forth. Often times, multiple artifacts are found in that same area that all point to a certain period or culture. Every time I get on here it's like a history lesson.
My favorite little creek is loaded with Woodland period artifacts but 3 miles away was a huge Mississippian camp. I know this solely because of what I have learned at arrowheads.com. Everyone contributes and I'll bet the members of his website have shared more useful and easily accessible artifact information to the public than any "professional" institution.
Don't get me wrong, the universities and societies that study artifacts do very important work and once in a while a very special find makes the news or an article somewhere but think about all the artifacts the professionals find, take a picture or two, maybe make a drawing in a catalog somewhere and then stuff in a box on a shelf for.....ever. We'll never see them.
This site and it's members are important to the history of artifacts and the collecting community. I know this didn't really have anything to do with "tweakers selling looted artifacts" issue, I just wanted to help defend the site and the hobby in general, because it deserves it.
Like Chase said, any artifact dealers here have to be at least legit enough that I doubt any would be lootin tweakers. That sounds funny, lootin tweakers.

[Six nations son]

Out west over the last 30-40 yrs ranging cattle has expanded greatly in the eastern Oregon Great Basin,calif -and- Nevada as we'll. the politicos don't want ya picking up surface finds,so I guess your supposed to let them get ground up.   Don't get me wrong I'm a friend of the ranchers and such,they are under attack too!  The ethical laws have always been about protecting native burial grounds -and- I and most folks have always stood for that.  I have not hunted in yrs,and a lot has changed.  The country for sure has!  And not for the better!  Hell! they don't want any teaching about our history in schools anymore or it's all about changing history to suit their agenda.  The closer we stay too the earth -and- our heritage the stronger we will be!  Be it native blood or an Oklahoma cowboy or an eastern Great Lakes steel worker. We are all in this together -and- must stand together.   Thanks for pointing out the article.  It's crazy that the Wild West was the first area of the country to impose the most rediculous laws!!!