"The looting and vandalism of archaeological sites is a serious threat to cultural heritage in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Although archaeologists and others have long recognized the problem, no previous study has attempted to quantify either the proportion of sites that have been affected or the cultural, geographic, and economic factors thought to contribute to looting and vandalism. In this study, I divide the Pacific Northwest into 17 regions, and estimate the proportion of looted and vandalized sites in each region. The estimates are then statistically correlated with nine potentially contributing factors. Major strategies for combating looting and vandalism are reviewed, including law enforcement approaches, educational programs, and community involvement. I then offer recommendations for decreasing looting activity, based on the results of geostatistical analysis and the review of site protection strategies, for the Pacific Northwest as a whole and for each region within it"--P. iv.