Big Boys Hobbies

TVA and metal detecting

D

Dflan83

Elite Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2010
Messages
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Location
Fayetteville, TN
with the weather getting hotter I would love to hit some beach areas to metal detect but all lakes around me are TVA property. Anyone else out there have any trouble with TVA or is it assumed safe to hunt the beach swimming areas?

Vandalism

There's been cemetery vandalism on TVA properties. Sometimes, during periods of low water, users of metal detectors come in and dig away at the banks of a TVA lake, which is illegal.

"Even if you pick up a shell," said Kristine Shattuck-Cooper of TVA, "that's considered stealing."

TVA works with lakeside property owners to help curb vandalism, and posts signage at boat ramps. Looting of archaeological sites on TVA land can be reported by calling
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It's completely banned by the TVA now in navigable waterways.

Small streams are okay as long as they are not navigable I live in Chattanooga so this is a huge bummer.



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Dflan83 said:
.... "Even if you pick up a shell," said Kristine Shattuck-Cooper of TVA, "that's considered stealing." ....
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I had to chuckle at this quote :) Sure, that Kristine gal is right. And so too does a child picking up a seashell at ANY beach or park across the entire USA (not just TVA) considered "stealing". It would fall afoul of verbiage that forbid "harvest", "remove", "take", "steal", etc...

Ok, let's have a show of hands: How many here have ever heard of anyone arrested for taking home a seashell from the beach ?

When I was a kid here in CA, that was just expected that no kid came home for the beach w/o a seashell. And you'd do art projects with them at your grade school, etc...

And what the heck does "cemetery vandalism" have to do with md'ing ? Last I checked, we md'rs are looking for coins and jewelry. NOT GRAVES AND/OR BONES.

As for the line about "digging", well gee, there too can you find some form of prohibition on digging (alter, deface, etc...) on every speck of land too.

Yet none-the-less, this all gets interpreted at isolated forms of public land to net effect into "no md'ing". I wonder what the evolution of this decision was, at TVA years or decades ago ? I mean, what put this on the minds of someone way-back-when to decide this there ?
 
Darktower007 said:
.... Small streams are okay as long as they are not navigable ....
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Really ? I bet that if you gave me a day to research, and once I've contacted certain of the right people there, and phrased the question in the right way, that I could find someone to say it's not ok.

And then what ? They issue the determination policy in print form now. So we can all sit on forums linking each other to these dept. communications , lamenting our lack of freedoms.

So for a mere $50 bribe (I accept paypal), I can be persuaded not to ask pencil-pushers there if your above quote is true or not. :p
 
I've hunted Guntersville swim areas..TVA of course....They are completely clean as a whistle by somebody who either doesnt know the TVA NO detecting rules or dont care...so hey..its all about enforcement...and timing...no signs posted, so what the hell?...In I go! :laughing:

The mussel shell divers on the TN river bring up some great CW finds!...They are down there geezling along in the mud for clam shells, running a homemade hookah rig made out of a lawnmower engine and air compressor they stole off a roofer at the bar, using a rope belt of cast iron window sash weights, or Car Wheel brake rotors for down tackle!....Towing behind a crappy little 12' Sears aluminum boat not worth a dollar! Zero vis! Slogging along in their Homemade Wetsuits! Smoking and drinking even!....Damndest thing you ever seen!:laughing:

I dont know if the mussel shell divers are working much anymore on the TN river..but damn, those guys were some tough fellows...Efficient!.

I suppose a cast iron wheel rotor off a full sized truck, placed right on a guys back would be more comfortable and keep a guy on the shells better than a load of window weighs dangling around the waist..:?:.
 
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Mud-puppy said:
I've hunted Guntersville swim areas..TVA of course....They are completely clean as a whistle by somebody who either doesnt know the TVA NO detecting rules or dont care......
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What ?? And you weren't arrested, confiscated, jailed, and ticketed ? I can't believe it. How could this possibly be, given the TVA link (no doubt passed out to answer "someone's pressing question" ages ago).

I'm sure that you are writhing in guilt now, after reading the OP's quote on "vandalism". But not to worry: Box up all your stuff and send it to me. I will absolve your conscience of all guilt. It's the least I can do for a good friend like mud-puppy. :D
 
Tom_in_CA said:
What ?? And you weren't arrested, confiscated, jailed, and ticketed ? I can't believe it. How could this possibly be, given the TVA link (no doubt passed out to answer "someone's pressing question" ages ago).

I'm sure that you are writhing in guilt now, after reading the OP's quote on "vandalism". But not to worry: Box up all your stuff and send it to me. I will absolve your conscience of all guilt. It's the least I can do for a good friend like mud-puppy. :D
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Thanks for the offer Tom! No absolution needed here!...I am a free man and walk this Planet as I wish! I Hunt wherever and whenever I will! I'm just naturally good at it I suppose, I do not recommend this aggregious behavior to the less sensitive and practiced though...And we certainly do NOT want to tarnish the reputation of this Sport!...

At my age and experience afield, engaged in multiple 'pursuit oriented' skill disciplines since @1967, This study has enabled me to hone and apply a bit of uber sneaky skills... At the present, I am a law unto myself! A master of being invisible....Time and Gold wait for Nobody! :laughing:

If anybody should feel guilty regarding trespassing the TVA drainage, it should be Ferdinand DeSoto!...He wiped out 10.000 peaceful natives encamped there with just a little smallpox...In this light, what trouble is an old guy picking up a few pennies?
 
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Dflan83 said:
So I guess my takeaway here is don't worry about it and go when there are no people ....
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Well, if we were talking historic sensitive monuments, with specific rules, then ... sure .... no one would advocate "just go".

I have not studied TVA deeply enough to know whether the "no" that has been issued is just commentary (where someone points to earlier existing cultural heritage, or alter/deface, etc....). If so, then I do not equate that with law. That is merely commentary by someone when tasked with answer an inquiry.

But if it's TRUE that there is a chapter & verse law (not just commentary) that specifically says "no md'ing", then ....... it's up to you whether you want to progress to the "does anyone really care?" test of things. By that I mean, for example, SO TOO is there laws that forbid spitting on sidewalks in NY. It then boils down to a question of "when a tree falls in the woods when no one is around ...... " type thing.

This is not to be construed as advocating being like mud-puppy . We can not advocate stooping this low, on a family friendly forum. Sorry . :nono:
 
Mud-puppy said:
Well, you dont really have to worry about ALL people, just specific people...This is the art...
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Reminds me of the following example: There is a city in CA with excess of 500,000 population. Dozens upon dozens of parks that we detect there. And no *specific* rule or law on md'ing, so it's just been considered fair game I suppose.

However, there is a singular person in the park's dept. (a suit and tie pencil pusher) who has been known to "scram" people, if he happens to be out and about. And .... gee ... I suppose he could issue a policy statement, that could be picked up and linked around. Or he could implement an actual true rule I suppose.

But it's like you say: We just learned where he works, his routes and .... it just sort of became an in-house knowledge of knowing to avoid a certain park on a certain day. We could spend all our lives trying to convert this one person .... or ... avoid him. Presto, problem solved. Why swat hornet's nests ?
 
Tom_in_CA said:
Well, if we were talking historic sensitive monuments, with specific rules, then ... sure .... no one would advocate "just go".

This is not to be construed as advocating being like mud-puppy . We can not advocate stooping this low, on a family friendly forum. Sorry . :nono:
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Well said Tom! I will freely admit I am an aberration..Super Invisible!...I can walk into a Waffle House bare naked wearing an orange traffic cone on my head and sit there at the counter for an hour before I get greeted or offered a cup of coffee!...I go to a Family reunion, and my own Mother asks If I am the parking attendant or the caterer!

In fact, to this day, the Wife thinks she was widowed back in 1992, even though we live in the same house and sleep tegether, she hasnt seen me in years! She thinks the dishwasher magically loads and unloads itself! My little dog thinks he has a self feeding dispenser!

I used to think this MudPuppy Invisibleness genetic trait was a curse, but when it comes to Detecting? Its a blessing!...So hey, its not my fault I was born this way...I accept this 'Gray Man' disability and work with the hand I've been dealt, and this Hobby seems to be a PERFECT use of my birth defect!!...Traffic cone hat and all! If I could just get served a cup of coffee every now and then, by a Waffle House waitress, it would all be skittles and rainbows for me!.

Now excuse me, I gotta go....the Wife is getting married this weekend, and these reception tents aint gonna set themselves up, plus folding all the napkins and all the damn dishes!...I just hope he leaves his wallet out and maybe dont kick too much at night, or snore...that would be troublesome......:laughing::laughing:
 
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I personally cant afford the fine or time away from my family if caught. I use the, if I gotta think about it, its probably wrong approach.

Thank you for your inquiry. TVA must balance public use of its managed
lands with its legal responsibilities to protect both natural and
cultural resources. Based on the results of a recent evaluation, TVA has
changed its guidelines for metal detecting and will no longer allow this
activity on its managed lands in order to ensure the protection of
sensitive, protected archaeological sites.
 
mtruxfan said:
....

Thank you for your inquiry. TVA must balance public use of its managed
lands with its legal responsibilities to protect both natural and
cultural resources. Based on the results of a recent evaluation, TVA has
changed its guidelines for metal detecting and will no longer allow this
activity on its managed lands in order to ensure the protection of
sensitive, protected archaeological sites.
Click to expand...

Mtruxfan, Please do tell: Where did you lift this quote from ? Is it something you lifted from the net somewhere ? If so, got a link ? Or is it an answer you received from them when asking "Hi, can I metal detect?".

I am curious as to the origin of your quote. Thanx.
 
I am in Marysville, TN. Surrounded by TVA. I haven't hunted any of it. Local MD'ers told me that TVA use to issue permits for metal detecting. I am told that they stopped that when some MDers were caught pillaging Native American historical sites/mounds. Like everything else apply common sense because you can bet the bureaucrat with a little authority will not.


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I found that reply previously posted on the net and cant find it now but I did find this taken from the TVA website. I live in TN and would like to hunt the swimming beaches and boat ramps. Ive spoken with several TVA Police and metal detecting is not a good activity on the TVA land.

Encountering Artifacts The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA) makes it illegal to excavate archaeological sites on federal property, which includes TVA land, without a research permit. You may be tempted to pick up arrowheads that you find on the ground, but these artifacts are still considered federal property and you can be charged with theft of government property if found to be in possession of artifacts taken from TVA property. Furthermore, an individual who does more than $500 worth of damage can be charged with a felony with fines of up to $100,000 and/or 2 years in prison as well as forfeiture of any vehicles or equipment used to commit the violation. Read more about ARPA and other laws covering cultural resources. Legal matters aside, it’s important to understand that artifacts by themselves do not tell us anything about people of the past. We need to know the context of the artifact—where it was found, for example, and what other items were near it—in order for it all to make sense. If you have discovered something that may be an artifact, the best thing to do is leave it in place and get in contact with us via email. Please note: The use of metal detectors on TVA public land is strictly prohibited.
 
TabZilla said:
Probably urban legends created to keep new detectorists off their patch....lol
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Probably, but I did inquire at a campground on TVA property run by a contractor and they told me go ahead, but if TVA catches you you're on your own and we don't know anything about it. Said lots of people had hunted in past, but TVA had shut it down.



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