Metal Detectors Prohibited

[Gary_C]

This last fall I met a guy who uses his metal detector frequently to find coins and other metal. One day he was searching at a boat landing along the St. Croix river and two rangers stopped him and told him that is now illegal. Seems the government is trying to stop people from finding and removing artifacts from state and federal parks and lands. They told him they were supposed to confiscate his detector, but would not this time. I'm not sure if they were state (Wisconsin) or federal park rangers.

Anybody else encountered this problem?

[Jeff]

Thats gotta be a crock!  Yer telling me say, if I dropped my wedding ring while launching a boat it now would belong to the state or someone with a plastic shovel?  I think someone was using their uniform to play god.

[crtreedude]

I remember in NJ you had to have a permit to use a metal detector on public lands - and to rock climb, and to blow your nose too I assume...

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Just another part of the US Gestapo to control every facet of your life.

  We fought that same thing in Fl, in the OCEAN. Mel Fisher spent MILLIONS of Dollars in Court with the State and Federal Gestapo. Finally won all cases, so, The Gestapos formed a NATIONAL Park and that all but stopped everyone but Fisher from searching for sunken treasure. ANY new leases are NOT issued.

  Thing is, the treasure ??? is NOT lost by Govt. people, same as the logs we tried to salvage. They simply figure that anyone with a Detector is a thief, absconding with "Artifacts" ???  >:(

  Nearly all parks and now a LOT of beaches are off limits to Detecting ???

  We had a large contingent of Dealers and Distributors of Detectors and Accessories. We sold digging devices to them. After 9-11, the Govt clamped down on OTHER things so hard, it affected the Detector Business. We effectively lost MOST of the dealers and Distributors, and now, Ed is hustling other types of work.

  One dealer, Tom in Minneapolis, is-was one of our People. Can't remember the business name, maybe Metal detectors of Minn ???  : : :

[Gary_C]

From what he told me, the government is now going to be strictly enforcing the rules against "prospecting" in parks and other government lands. The example given was that too many people go to national historic sites like Gettysburg and find and remove musketballs, etc. and that was considered "looting a national historic site." Where he was, it was most likely arrowheads and indian artifacts that was the concern, even though he was mainly searching for coins that probably fell out of pockets while getting in and out of boats.

One of the rangers joked that he had a very nice detector and really should confiscate it for himself.  >:(   So yes, they are playing God, but apparently with orders from headquarters.

[Don P]

He might end up with it but I hope it has his headprint in it  >:(.
They busted some folks for "stealing" artifacts around a manmade lake when I lived near Raleigh. This was after they had pushed, burned and filled, then varied the lake level. I think the fine was 10k. I got a stern warning from one of those yahoos. The artifacts were out of context and of no use to archeologists. I have seen looted sites too, of course the next generation will consider even the pros to have destroyed the site. Tough call, I'd say 5000 psi fast set shoes.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, items of "historical significance" or having historical value can not be damaged or removed from public surface and bottlom lands without a permit. Searches can often be carried on, but any items found must to be reported in accordance to the historical preservation laws now protecting cultural resources.   

[Furby]

Ron, they have banned hunting in Hartwick Pines S.P. in all but two small areas where the campers and parking lots and such are.
If you go to the website, they give a little story about how metal detecting is now considered a recreational sport and needs to be allowed. Then go look at the map showing the allowed areas. :
I'd put up the website, but I got a but eating Google and can't find anything and can't kill the DanG bug! >:( >:( >:(

[Dan_Shade]

that law has been on the books for many years.

I grew up near harper's ferry, WV, and they'd bust people all the time out there. 

seeing how people will dig all of the stuff up and take it all, leaving nothing there to "dream about", i kind of support the idea, the problem is they can really screw with a guy who made an honest mistake...

not sure if you can get any exceptions.

[Ron Scott]

Furby,

Yes, a number of Michigan State Parks and recreation areas now have "designated areas" for using metal detectors. It is recognized as a recreation activity, especially among senior citizens and many campers have metal detectors with them.

However, even in the designated areas, one must disclose their finds on site to the State officer in charge. The State then has first dibs on any "goodies" that you find. If the State doesn't want the find for any historical value or significance, then they will let you keep it. However, they will know what you have and where you will retain it and they may call it in at any time in the future if they have reason to do so.

This is how the State Preservation officer gets much of the States archaeology work done and numerous artifacts of significance collected at no cost. Many treasure hunters have become volunteers for the State and Feds as amature archaeologists. 

[Furby]

I guess my point was the areas that were open to hunting were small and there is little if any chance off finding anything other then pull tabs.

[Don P]

I've gotta say Ron's response was alot better than mine. When this stuff is gone its gone, if it is looted and the surrounding site is destroyed we all lose scarce snapshots of the past.

I've also seen kids turned on to searching for stuff on the ground, they see alot of other things and there's some real quality time while on the goodie hunt, that's cool, I hate to see that lost too.

I think the antiquities laws have been on the books since '28.

We were in the Black Hills when the whole Sue thing happened,  had been introduced to the crew, toured their facility, saw what they were about, and feel the government did them and the fossil waaay wrong. Like most things theres usually blame enough to go around. Its a tough call  :-\.

[Furby]

Some folks feel the same way about cutting down big trees, when they're gone they're gone.
They won't be back within that person's lifetime.

[crtreedude]

Rare artifacts is a pretty interesting subject. I have on my desk a pretty significant piece of Mayan pottery that was found while building on our property. It is very interesting and very cool. It isn't perfect, but I like it as a reminder that there were people on the property before us - and will be after as well. What is interesting is that where our home is was jungle not more than 40 years ago, but this pottery is a lot older than that - probably in the hundreds of years. Much of our neck of the jungle was clear-cut about 500 years ago - and then because of the collapse of their society, the forest came back, now it has been clear-cut again for cattle (and pineapple, etc.)

The ties to the past help remind us of histories failures as well - and hopefully we might learn something from them. A very interesting book regarding this is "Collapse" by Jared Diamond.

[Bunky]

Well when I was a child my uncle had a metal detector and used to use it at the beach all the time...  The other day I went to the the state park and saw the sign and couldn't believe it myself.....