Northern California New Member Intro

Metal addict is right: You can hunt state of CA beaches till you're blue in the face. And probably never going to hear "boo" from anyone.

nwprospector said:

.... I was kinda bummed about the no detecting in state owned land/parks - that makes up 90% of the spots I was planning to take a detector ....

Click to expand...

Where are you reading that state of CA land parks are a no-no ? Technically you are ok, as long as you only find stuff 50 yr. old or newer. Ie.: Cultural heritage laws. Because, think about it: It the EXACT same parks dept. that administers the state park beaches, as administers the inland parks. Hence technically, the same rules apply to both land and beach.

It's just that the beaches have, I guess, been "grandfathered in". They've just always ever been md'd. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you could find some desk-bound archie in state park offices, to tell you that the salt-water beaches are a no-go (because, heaven forbid you found a 51 yr. old coin). Moral of the story ? We don't bug desk-bound pencil pushing archies with silly questions

But seriously now: if you read the state park rules (barring something specific to an INDIVIDUAL state park ?), you will only find cultural heritage verbiage. So ... presto ... you're only looking for modern stuff. This , of course, will not work when you're at an obvious historic sensitive monument. But other than that, I've worked state parks frequently and not had problems . Eg.: run of mill campgrounds, inland lake beaches, grass, etc... However: Other things might apply (like "alter" and "deface" if you're working nicely manicured turf). So it's not a carte-blanche to wear neon yellow and traipse through ball games, over beach blankets, etc....

Let us know what you've read that made you think otherwise.

BTW: There's a club in Santa Rosa still, if I'm not mistaken.

Oh, and the rules here are quite simple for fellow CA hunters: You send me 30% of all your finds (I accept paypal)

I have looked it up before and the state in general has a no digging rule for state property in general. It rather pisses me off. No time to find it now but if I think about it this weekend I will try to find and post.

I found the code specifically once as well. Fact of the matter is if they want to make your life hard they can. So technically there is no rule against detecting but the digging is the issue.

JackalopeZL1 said:

I have looked it up before and the state in general has a no digging rule for state property in general......

Click to expand...

JackalopeZL1 : If that type boiler plate language stops you, then you might as well give up now, on every speck of public land. Because I got news for you: Language such as that exists on EVERY park, of EVERY entity (city, county, state, and fed).

It might not use the exact word "dig", but will be there in some form or fashion. Eg.: "Alter", "deface", etc....

But if you leave no trace of your presence (cover, stomp, and fluff up your holes), then you haven't defacED or alterED anything. Yes I realize the word "dig" is more problematic. But the *reasonable* person will know that if you've left no trace, you're in compliance with that. I do not let such language stop me. If that automatically equated to "no md'ing", then you'll need to give it up and stick to private property .

I don't need lectured by you as you know nothing about the places I dig or when I dig. I simply am stating code that is there and has been used against folks in ca state parks. Is it BS? You bet your sweet arse. It pisses me off more than anyone our public lands are not public, that you can be raked over the fricking coals in the right situation when in my eyes you did nothing wrong.

That same state I hate so much I work for, and in a department that is closely tied to the agency (my departments property, their enforcement) that have locally used it against folks, to the point of obtaining search warrants and confiscating items out of their home. All becuase they were caught digging on state land and had "artifacts" in their possession. (sounds like a guy metal detecting and having a fooking old coin in his pouch huh?)

So you keep telling folks to be rebels, I have seen you do it a hundred times on here letting everyone know your extreme knowledge on the subject, But the fact of the matter is what I warn about is real. I on the other hand will warn folks be careful.. do what you want but be careful and realize the BS that can be brought on you. I can see it now. Some poor guy gets a ticket or worse and tells the enforcement or the court, "but Tom said I could" hahaha

This article I am linking here started off as a guy who was caught digging on state property. He was a lifelong collector of history and majority of the items he had taken from him out of his house were legally obtained over many years I am told. Similar other cases have happened to a much lesser degree in the same area as well folks detecting on state property. Point being be fricking careful folks and know the possibilities, make your own choice with actual facts. Do not go into anything blind or with a gung ho attitude. It COULD come back to bite you. All they have to do is call the old coin in your pouch a historic artifact. The state of ca would much rather have history be left in the dirt where no one can enjoy or use it to learn about our past

I will be the first to tell you parks department is extremely gungho on this BS and I am not referring to local/city parks as they are not state property. They belong to that individual locality or city.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/479

Jackalopezl1 : I have no doubt that it's possible to find examples of persons roughed by LEO's for just about anything. I even have a newspaper clipping of a fellow who got a ticket for eating a hamburger while driving.

I'm not saying to "throw caution to the wind". But just saying: At some point, you have step out your front door in the morning. The link you give is about indian stuff. Which .... I hope you can agree .... is held to a MUCH more difficult standard that a wheatie or mercury time or button, etc... Yes, technically the cultural heritage issues that got that guy in trouble (for the indian stuff) would equally apply to artifacts of post-contact western period too (ie: coins 51 yr. or more).

But let's be perfectly honest: It's the indian stuff that gets all the bruhaha.

I was referring to the act of "digging" in general (parks, school, beach, etc...) . Which is what I cast in a don't-let-that verbiage stop you. When it comes to "picking up thousands of indian artifacts", well .... sure ... don't do that. But that's a separate issue from whether or not alter/deface/dig boiler plate stuff (that exists on every speck of public land) automatically shuts us down.

Cultural heritage is another issue /topic.

I used a extreme example but many other lower profile instances that have actually happened as I said. Do they gain the attention of this one? no. Do they ruin a guys day , week or year? You bet you arse they do, I have seen the detector in the back of a patrol unit.
And no I don't see someone picking up a arrow head as being a crime. But I know others do and want to know the potential trouble I could get myself in so I can weigh the trouble before I get into it.

Going off half cocked with chip on your shoulder telling people how an what they should do is not being a responsible docent to this hobby. People need to have a real expectation to what they could be potentially getting themselves into and facts are facts as the what the law is.

Again just like I said from the beginning don't lecture me on what I should do. You have no idea what I do or how I do it.

Welcome from Honolulu

JackalopeZL1 said:

.... facts are facts as the what the law....

Click to expand...

Yes. I have no doubt that if each of us looked long enough, and hard enough, you would find some law or rule that .... given the right interpretation, would indeed shut down md'ing on every speck of public land.

But strangely, the forums show & tell pages are filled with stuff that ... uh ... found on public land. For example: Any public place you currently detect at, I bet I can find some law or rule , or power-that-be there, that says you can't be doing that. Trust me: I too wish that wasn't the case

aboard!