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NPS and National Seashore----KEEP OUT! "Possesion" of Metal Detector Illegal!

wtfisthat

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2010
Messages
360
Location
New England
I have always considered myself well informed about metal detecting being prohibited on National Seashore property and even inquired with the park superintentdant who confirmed this. Today I did some scouting and in my travels I overlooked the fact that I was in fact on Seashore property. I was pretty excited when I arrived at the site cause it looked extremely promising. I proceeded to grab my detector from the bed of my truck and was very quickly reminded of the law (and my location) when I looked up and saw the park ranger. Needless to say my joy quickly turned to sorrow, anger, and fear. He reminded me that what I was about to do was illegal, as well that just possessing it was a crime. So as a warning to everyone who thinks they can go on seashore property with a metal detector, take my advice----DONT! I guess the law states that as long as the detector is dissassembled and stowed in a case then it is on the up and up. I honestly had forgot the extent of the parks boundary as they are so immense. Nearly all of the outer cape is consumed by them. :-( Lucky I got away unscathed

Here's a link to the actual law:http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/preservation-cultural-archeological-19767491
 
Yeah. Seems like if you breath, pick your nose, leave foot prints on the sand or blink you may be subject to a body cavity search too. Talk about over regulation. What a shame.
 
What city? What state? What parks? :D


As far as I know all national parks are off limits, and most state parks are. Basically common knowledge :)
 
Yeah I was a little shocked by the "possesion" aspect of the law. I mean where I live it is basically impossible to travel anywhere with a detector without breaking the law. Seems like the law needs to be narrowed down a bit to prevent use on sites of historical significance or environmentally fragile areas. This "blanket all" law is overly vague and forcing people to disassemble and stow there detectors or face breaking a law. I live on Cape Cod, 80 percent of the Lower Cape is national seashore, most of it inland I might ad. Basically you CANNOT travel into or out of the entire town of Truro with an assembled/un-contained metal detector as the entire town border is within the park. We'll just keep passing new laws until everyone's either a criminal or a law enforcement official and nowhere in between.
 
If there is the word "National" in the title - do not bring a metal detector. Period. The Federal government is really persnickety about this.

National parks, national historic sites, national sea shores, etc, etc. They are all illegal to detect in. Depending upon the mood they are in, they can and will arrest you.
 
On Padre Island there are 3 well know shipwrecks near Port Mansfield on the National Sea Shore very close to land. Gold and Silver right there and no one can touch it.
 
2 sides

I would love to MD some of these National places like a lot of others.Heck there is some major battlefields where I live. However, I understand why the laws are so tough. Before the laws were set in the NP parks, people would go to to these areas, and take all the natural resources,the animals, and anything else of value. If the laws were not set ,we wouldn't have beautiful parks to enjoy. I have been fortunate to have visited many NP parks and I am greatful for the laws that are set.
 
A couple months ago I detected at a national seashore and after about 20 mins. A lady came up and told me that I couldn't do it. It doesn't make sense to me... There were people at the beach surfing and building sandcastles but I'm not allowed to dig a tiny hole in the sand and probably pull out a pulltab. ( which is cleaning up the beach ) it really mad me mad:mad:
 
I can understand the need for laws to protect our beautiful parks but it seems like too much to me. Its preventing a whole group of people from enjoying a specific hobby, based on the assumption that an individual might destroy a plant or unearth something of historic or cultural significance. In my area they let you drive out on the beach in 4 wheel drive trucks, have campfires, shoot shotguns just for fun, and camp out for the night,,,, but don't you dare use or possess a metal detector. I'll stop my crybaby crying now and move on. Thanks for your ears.
 
Very interesting post...

My family and I vacation in Brewster on Cape Cod. I 'm pretty new to metal detecting so this up coming summer would be my first time MDing around the cape. This leaves me wondering if it's worth it. Maybe I should just stick to fishing on the cape.:roll:

Glad you go away unscathed.
 
"My family and I vacation in Brewster on Cape Cod. I 'm pretty new to metal detecting so this up coming summer would be my first time MDing around the cape. This leaves me wondering if it's worth it. Maybe I should just stick to fishing on the cape.

Glad you go away unscathed."


Me too! Thanks. If I got caught intentionally braking the rules that's one thing, but honest I completely forgot about the boundary. Don't be afraid, still lots of places to go, especially beaches.
 
Not trying to be a PITA but I was about 2 miles inland and not on a beach or in the water, so I'm not really sure why the moderator moved this post to this forum. Whatever.
 
Ive had a couple of incidents like that. When i first started out i was in Roosevelt National park and decided to do a little detecting. The Ranger stopped me and said he regretted he had to. He felt it was a shame to allow all those possible relics were going to be lost because of the rules. So i packed it up. He told me of the old Roosevelt home in the grass lands and believed i was allowed to hunt there. I never went there but was surprised it may be allowed there. Also, we were going into the petrified forest NP and was asked if we had a MD in the car. Hummm they got a no... thank goodness they didnt check but i had no intent to detect there.

Dew
 
The possession aspect seems like B.S. I mean you could beat it in court because of selective enforcement. I mean you see "dig safe" using detectors all the time in towns in the sea shore. i been doing some research to figure out the east ward boundaries of the seashore. i don't think they can touch you in the water. In even private property below the mean high tide is governed by the Commonwealth. It would be a fun fight! the park service needs it's wing clipped and currently they are out of favor with the general public on the cape.
 
Thx for the thread

this really gets me going state and federal land is owned by the government which makes it owned by the people.
that is complete b.s. that we cannot have access to our land!
and while i am at it what the heck is the problem with restricting people from hunting on said land?
guess its better to just let the finds lay in the ground forever.
who benefits from this? nobody.
man this hobby is going to turn me into a criminal sooner then later.
 
National Parks are pretty much no on anything, especially detecting. Now National Forests are a different matter, the rules are made by each forest. For example where I am I can hunt so long as it is not at historical designated sites. Anywhere else on the forest is open. We are still allowed mining in some areas as well with a permit.
 
The possession aspect seems like B.S. I mean you could beat it in court because of selective enforcement. I mean you see "dig safe" using detectors all the time in towns in the sea shore. i been doing some research to figure out the east ward boundaries of the seashore. i don't think they can touch you in the water. In even private property below the mean high tide is governed by the Commonwealth. It would be a fun fight! the park service needs it's wing clipped and currently they are out of favor with the general public on the cape.

We recently had 1 1/2 miles of beach closed by the federal park service here. More specifically, you can drive the mile and a half of beach, but you may not stop or park or set up a beach spot etc. I was told their reason was that the beach (a barrier island) had migrated west. So it was now within their boundaries. Morons, it's a sand bar, that's what they do. I guess their boundaries extend wherever they want them to.
 
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