You've sure posted some fascinating photos HM!
I understand where CJ is coming from regarding whatever artifacts (if any) are being taken from the site you have views of. That said, I mentioned once before that I may be pretty certain what I would do if I found myself in a situation such as yours, but I'm not, so you have to do what you have to do and live with, and it sounds like you are and can.
Lately I find myself thinking quite often about the whole world of archeology, treasure hunting, illegal artifact recovering, etc... and I have such mixed emotions. I know this is off topic a bit, but hopefully you'll give me a little slack and let me express my thoughts.
One of the biggest drawbacks to illegal artifact recoveries is the loss of knowledge that could come from trained professionals and scholars studying the items "in situ" so to speak. Volumes of information are gathered before the first artifact actually is removed and cataloged - in fact, I believe that from an archeological standpoint, the artifacts themselves are worth far less than the stories they can tell about those who made them, used them, discarded them, etc... It's sad to know that there is a disregard for that knowledge amongst those who are just out to collect and/or make a $.
Then of course there is always the argument that those artifacts should be housed and displayed for the world to see - after all, many should really belong to all of mankind, and not individuals. This is where I start to have more mixed feelings. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of artifacts discovered end up catalogued and boxed/shelved in basements, archives and other storehouses to likely never see the light of day again. At least if they end up in an individual's collection, they can be displayed and admired on a regular basis - some of the individuals may be scholars or at the least folks such as us who would spend hours researching each item and enjoying the history behind them.
I know that technically, many of the items I've found over the years with my detector and/or just by exploring and searching should be turned over to the state as an antiquity - much as any other detectorist's finds. I'm "small potatos" though - the things I've found have minimal monetary value, but I can tell you that I look at many of them over and over again. I study them, research them, think about how they got there, who left them/lost them, etc... I'm positive they get more scrutiny by me than they would be any state or historical organization. I also show them to friends and fellow detectorists, we talk about them, compare them, etc... In short, they have a GREAT DEAL of meaning to me - more so than any government agency.
When it comes to large scale artifact discovery such as may be happening in your area, I guess it's a different story because of the value (both monetary and historical), but as you yourself have said, it could be the government, preservationists, etc... doing the work now anyways.
I guess I find myself in an ethical quandry - on one hand I believe if I were witness to what I suspect to be a large scale illegal artifact recovery, I would find a way to contact an authority to at least check into it. On the other hand, I have handled coins 200+ years old that legally should have been turned over to the government (despite the fact that the condition and value of the coin may be < $5) and I know they are in private collections.
I have a difficult time in my mind saying that one is not ok and should be reported, while the other is ok - they're both technically illegal, and it doesn't seem right to have "degrees" under which I would act differently.
Ahh well, I'm really just venting my frustration here - not really looking for any enlightenment or answer - it's just something that enters my mind when I read threads such as these.
?----> i got some work to do on the farm and dont have as much time as i had 
