I have many archaeological and paleontological sites discovered during hoofing around I’ve documented but not revealed to government entities or academia. When with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) as a geologist, I learned what happens when public citizens come into a BLM office to report a site. Soon after, the area has limited (or revoked) public access, and I don’t want to be responsible for public lands being taken from public domain. People say “The site needs to be protected!” but because the sites I find are in pristine, undisturbed condition it’s evident the site is perfectly preserved just as is. And then people say “The site must be studied by experts!” and I’ve got the proper training and experience to document sites (never excavating) so that’s covered, too. The only paleontologist I shared sites with is Dr. Don Wolberg, former NM State Paleontologist when I was at New Mexico Tech. Don had a similar ethic, that fossils are often best preserved in situ.

The sites are out there for anyone to discover. Reporting sites often removes public lands from public access. And contrary to the Dunning Kruger experts, there is no “law” requiring revealing these sites to “the authorities.”