The Legislature hereby declares that the public has an interest in preservation and protection of the state's archaeological resources; that the public has the right to the knowledge to be derived and gained from the scientific study of these resources; and that therefore it is the purpose of this chapter to provide that activities for the preservation, excavation, study, and exhibition of the state's archaeological resources be undertaken in a coordinated and organized manner for the general welfare of the public as a whole.
SDCL 1-20-17