Wisconsin Proposal to change the current DNR rules on MD'ing

[Kenosha Kid]

On April 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM in every county in Wisconsin, the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) will be holding their Spring meetings.

While most of the referendum deals with hunting and fishing, one question involves metal detecting:

This is the question listed under PUBLIC & PRIVATE LAND USE STUDY COMMITTEE ADVISORY QUESTIONS:

Question 74- Metal Detecting on State Lands (# 700110): It is currently not legal to use metal detectors on state owned lands unless authorized for the purpose of retrieving personal property. The current rule was enacted over concerns about people using metal detectors to locate artifacts and possibly taking the artifacts or destroying the site so that it could not be recorded and preserved properly to reconstruct historical events. Under this suggested permitting system, participants would be required to have some type of educational instruction or certification before being issued a permit. Persons would not be allowed to disturb or retrieve historical artifacts and doing so would result in the loss of the permit to use a metal detector on state owned lands.

Do you support the DNR establishing a permit system whereby participants may purchase an annual metal detecting permit for the sum of $20 and be allowed to operate metal detectors on all state owned or managed property and properties purchased with Stewardship money?

74. YES_______ NO______

The only problem I have with this is, "Persons would not be allowed to disturb or retrieve historical artifacts and doing so would result in the loss of the permit to use a metal detector on state owned lands."

Uh, how do you know the object is considered a "historical artifact" without disturbing or retrieving it beforehand??? I mean, as soon as you've removed the dirt to see what it is ... you've disturbed the object and, according to this, there goes your permit.