American Indian Rock Art, Volume 50. Aaron Wright and Amy Gilreath, Editors. American Rock Art Research Association, 2024, pp. 145–162. 145 Heritage Protection and Site Stewardship by Gila River Indian Community’s Cultural Resource Management Program Teresa Rodrigues, Chris Loendorf, and Emery Manuel The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) Cultural Resource Management Program Sensitive Site Heritage Preservation Pro- gram focuses on the identification and protection of at-risk archaeological sites. Initial work focuses on pedestrian and unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) reconnaissance to identify the locations and extent of sensitive sites. Once sites are identified they are docu- mented and assessed as to their degree of risk. This documentation includes detailed recording of petroglyph panels with sketches, scaled illustrations, and photography including drone imagery and photogrammetry. Damage mitigation efforts are undertaken at those sites that are negatively impacted and considered at risk. This work includes the use of graffiti-removal products, sign and fence installation, road closures, and site monitoring with cameras. Project work has resulted in the identification and protection of archaeological sites throughout the GRIC. The project is already showing signs of having a positive impact; to date, at every lo- cation where conservation measures have been implemented, petroglyph panels have not been subject to additional vandalism. In addition, data collected from monitored sites show that all recent site impacts have been limited to trash dumping, the creation of camp fire rings, and tire track damage. This research also shows that many people will assist in the protection of cultural resources once they become aware of conservation issues. Teresa Rodrigues Chris Loendorf Emery Manuel Gila River Indian Community, Cultural Resource Management Program T he Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) is dedicated to the preservation and protection of cultural resources. Community members, representa- tives of tribal departments, law enforcement officials, and federal agencies, as well as many people outside the Community including archaeologists and park rangers, have expressed concerns about damage to cultural sites, includ- ing damage to petroglyph panels. In response, the GRIC-Cultural Resource Management Program (CRMP) has organized and is managing an increasing number of projects that include archaeological resource damage assessments, site protection measures, and mitigation efforts (Bitowf and Rodrigues 2016; Loendorf 2011, 2023; Manuel 2023; Rodrigues 2022; Rodrigues et al. 2015, 2020; Woodson 2015). Where restoration is not possible, alternative miti- gation strategies have been developed following Loubser (2001). Here we discuss our work in general with an emphasis on petroglyph documentation and conservation. We also provide an overview of the GRIC-CRMP Sensi- tive Site Heritage Preservation Program and summarize our current results. Finally, our management efforts have been based on GRIC requests, with the support of the GRIC-Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The Sensitive Site Heritage Preservation Program The GRIC-CRMP Sensitive Site Heritage Preservation Program was founded on the strong Community commitment to cultural resource pro- tection. The program’s dramatic success is the result of the successful inte-