How can scientific research protect resources?
The scientific research potential is limitless. Studies are currently underway to examine the relationship between site vandalism and road access to better assist land managers in determining where new access routes should or should not be built, and whether certain routes should be closed or re-routed. Science can be used determine the impact of dust and dust-reducing chemicals on the erosion of rock art along existing routes, the rate of illegal artifact collecting on sites with unrestricted public access, the erosion impacts of pinyon-juniper chaining on buried archaeological deposits, and the impact of seismic activities on prehistoric architecture.
