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I have to agree with Alex Barker. I, too, feel mixed emotions. My
house in New Mexico bordered on BLM lands with many dirt tracks,
making it open to anyone.  There were no significant archeo sites
and the Ferocactus (for cactus candy) had been stolen, so the main
visitors were those many people who go out and shoot anything that
moves.  However, in eight years I saw BLM personnel ONCE.  Why?
No money; no staff.  If you have not spent time off the freeways
and out of the western cities, you cannot imagine how open it is.
Even National Monuments like Chaco Canyon have only minimal staff,
and I could take you to places with small, shelter pueblos that
are probably visited less than once a year by NPS personnel. There,
you can look at 1,000 year old fingerprints in the mud stucco and
listen for the sound of a modern shovel.  Remember, a good, ten
inch basket may be worth $5,000.  However, the comment that taking
these sites off the maps is useless is no doubt true also. Looters
have been successful for 5,000+ years.
Bill Reid