Well. There goes my city park hobby

RockieBoston

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Boston, Massachusetts
Got hassled by a park ranger today. I guess I won't be doing any more trash removal from the city parks. I really don't want to drive to the burbs to detect. Argh.

Now I ask you, do you read this regulation as banning metal detecting? I didn't. Mind you, it is also illegal to climb a tree, or utter profanity. Or ride a bike or play an instrument.

"No person shall, in any public park (including any boundary road thereof), or other public place (including any parkway) under the control of the Parks and Recreation Commission, except under the auspices of public authority:

(e) dig up, cut, break, remove, deface, defile, or take any tree, bush, plant, turf, rock, gravel, building, structure, fence, railing, sign or other thing connected with such park of place. . ."

Well they can keep their bottle caps I guess!
 
That's like a boiler plate warning sign I've seen them all over. I pretty much ignore them as I'm not "digging up" any vegetation. Unless they want to argue that grass is a plant, which it is but I don't deface anything. My plugs are "usually" undetectable (I can't even find them at the end of a hunt) and I do my best not to harm the turf. Haven't run into any of that yet but if I do, I'll just apologize, play dumb and go somewhere else.
 
That's like a boiler plate warning sign I've seen them all over. I pretty much ignore them as I'm not "digging up" any vegetation. Unless they want to argue that grass is a plant, which it is but I don't deface anything. My plugs are "usually" undetectable (I can't even find them at the end of a hunt) and I do my best not to harm the turf. Haven't run into any of that yet but if I do, I'll just apologize, play dumb and go somewhere else.

Oh there wasn't a sign. The park ranger just said "it's not allowed in any city park." What I posted above was from the city's parks and rec rules & regulations. It's the only rule I could find that might apply.

Metal detecting is not specifically named in the city's laws or rules that I can find. So. . . I have been doing it.

https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-rules-and-regulations
 
Oh there wasn't a sign. The park ranger just said "it's not allowed in any city park." What I posted above was from the city's parks and rec rules & regulations. It's the only rule I could find that might apply.

Metal detecting is not specifically named in the city's laws or rules that I can find. So. . . I have been doing it.

https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-rules-and-regulations


Well there you go. I suppose you could point that out to them and politely ask them to "show you" the law but that's probably just inviting a confrontation. Sounds like he/she is just being a jerk and/or looking for someone to harass.
 
... I suppose you could point that out to them and politely ask them to "show you" the law but that's probably just inviting a confrontation. .....

To go "seek clarification" is the FASTEST way to "swat hornet's nests" and "get a law written to address your pressing issue".

Odds are, that it's just someone having a bad hair day. Give lip service, and simply come back a few weeks later, when that singular person isn't around. Some people might call this "sneaking around". Ok, fine then: Sneak around.

This hobby is a bit like nose-picking: You don't ask people "Can I pick my nose ?", or "Is it legal to pick my nose". Instead, you just choose discreet times to pick your nose, so as not to offend the squeamish. :roll:
 
To go "seek clarification" is the FASTEST way to "swat hornet's nests" and "get a law written to address your pressing issue".

Odds are, that it's just someone having a bad hair day. Give lip service, and simply come back a few weeks later, when that singular person isn't around. Some people might call this "sneaking around". Ok, fine then: Sneak around.

This hobby is a bit like nose-picking: You don't ask people "Can I pick my nose ?", or "Is it legal to pick my nose". Instead, you just choose discreet times to pick your nose, so as not to offend the squeamish. :roll:

That's why I said it's probably just inviting confrontation. I completely agree except I wouldn't even give lip service, just play dumb, apologize, leave and come back later. Or just find another city park to hunt. They can't be at all of them at the same time.
 
To go "seek clarification" is the FASTEST way to "swat hornet's nests" and "get a law written to address your pressing issue".

Odds are, that it's just someone having a bad hair day. Give lip service, and simply come back a few weeks later, when that singular person isn't around. Some people might call this "sneaking around". Ok, fine then: Sneak around.

This hobby is a bit like nose-picking: You don't ask people "Can I pick my nose ?", or "Is it legal to pick my nose". Instead, you just choose discreet times to pick your nose, so as not to offend the squeamish. :roll:

Nobody writes laws in Boston that easily :laughing:

I wrote an email to the parks commissioner asking for clarification. I honestly don't think there is a hornet's nest here. The parks dept has bigger problems right now.
 
That's why I said it's probably just inviting confrontation. I completely agree except I wouldn't even give lip service, just play dumb, apologize, leave and come back later. Or just find another city park to hunt. They can't be at all of them at the same time.

I looked it up, we have 217 city parks. Maybe I should just, you know, go to another one. . .

My husband pointed out that the particular park I've been detecting in is currently under increased patrolling because of an ATV/motorbike nuisance that's been building the past month and all our mayoral candidates are taking it on in public (it's an election year). So it is a really dumb time to be in that particular park doing anything other than sitting primly on a bench smiling at park rangers.

It was really hard but I did apologize and say I thought I knew the law but I'd looked it up a year ago and not a problem, then I packed up and left. With my 22 cents in clad and old iron skeleton key. What a haul.

I hate confrontation and I do not like dealing with the authorities, and this was the first time since I started detecting. I did not like it.
 
Got hassled by a park ranger today. I guess I won't be doing any more trash removal from the city parks. I really don't want to drive to the burbs to detect. Argh.

Now I ask you, do you read this regulation as banning metal detecting? I didn't. Mind you, it is also illegal to climb a tree, or utter profanity. Or ride a bike or play an instrument.

"No person shall, in any public park (including any boundary road thereof), or other public place (including any parkway) under the control of the Parks and Recreation Commission, except under the auspices of public authority:

(e) dig up, cut, break, remove, deface, defile, or take any tree, bush, plant, turf, rock, gravel, building, structure, fence, railing, sign or other thing connected with such park of place. . ."

Well they can keep their bottle caps I guess!

That's why I look up park regulations before I dig. You were in the wrong.
 
....I wrote an email to the parks commissioner asking for clarification. I honestly don't think there is a hornet's nest here. .....


And what did the park's commissioner tell you ? Did they say "yes you can metal detect" ? If so, then :

On the surface, at first blush, this would seem to contradict my "hornet's nest" tirade, eh ? I mean, who can argue with a "yes", right ? So the obvious conclusion to a "yes" is to think : "See : It was a good thing I asked". eh ? :?:

But notice that the same conclusion would ALSO be arrived at, if you'd gotten a "no". You would also be saying: "See, it's a good thing I asked. Since now I know I can't go, and it has now saved me from getting arrested or whatever".

So: Whether the answer was "yes" or "no", the md'r feels that asking was a good thing. But what this fails to realize is: "What other option of an answer was there going to be ??" Like, did you really think they might answer in the following way : "Gee, that's a funny question. Why are you asking us ? If it's not listed as prohibited, then you don't need our say-so. Thus, why are you asking us ?". Authority never answers in that way. Instead they bestow on you their princely yes or no.

And all I'm saying is that if you ask them "Can I ?", you run the risk that someone might conjur up images of geeks with shovels, and simply pass out the "safe" answer. Even though, perhaps, that same person would never have given the matter a moment's thought, until put on their desk for some sort of princely say-so.
 
IMO, you are individually banned there because of a possible, ledgered report from an official. I would never feel relaxed going back. If I am not relaxed? Is it worth being there?
 

That's a great thread, Tom. Thanks for pointing me in that direction. I do agree to not ask questions when you know you won't like the answer, or when the question asking will get to an outcome that is worse for you than if you hadn't asked in the first place. I think in this case it won't matter either way.
 
....

"No person shall, in any public park (including any boundary road thereof), or other public place (including any parkway) under the control of the Parks and Recreation Commission, except under the auspices of public authority:

(e) dig up, cut, break, remove, deface, defile, or take any tree, bush, plant, turf, rock, gravel, building, structure, fence, railing, sign or other thing connected with such park of place. . ." ...

If this type boiler plate verbiage automatically means "No md'ing", then I got news for you : EVERY SINGLE PARK IN THE USA has wording to this effect. Eg.: Alter, deface, excavate, or some variation thereof.

So if we are to construe this to mean : "No md'ing", then why are we seeing scores of our ranks of md'r hobbyist, who PERPETUALLY post their show & tell that they found in (gasp) parks ? Are they/we all just lawless miscreants ? :?:

Thus, no, I do not construe such language to automatically mean "no md'ing". If you leave no trace of your presence (you cover, stomp, and fluff up), then presto: You have not alterED or defacED anything. Now have you ?

Will every last passer-by agree with those semantics ? Of course not ! Fine then: Go at lower traffic times and avoid such kill-joys. Problem solved.
 
IMO, you are individually banned there because of a possible, ledgered report from an official. I would never feel relaxed going back. If I am not relaxed? Is it worth being there?

Yeah. I think a golfer called the police on me. The golf course is in the park. I NEVER dig on the golf course, duh. But they probably saw me walking around. Time to avoid that park for a while I think.
 
Yeah. I think a golfer called the police on me. The golf course is in the park. I NEVER dig on the golf course, duh. But they probably saw me walking around. Time to avoid that park for a while I think.
Go get a 'uniform' that looks like the greens crew wear. 😉
 
Got hassled by a park ranger today. I guess I won't be doing any more trash removal from the city parks. I really don't want to drive to the burbs to detect. Argh.

Now I ask you, do you read this regulation as banning metal detecting? I didn't. Mind you, it is also illegal to climb a tree, or utter profanity. Or ride a bike or play an instrument.

"No person shall, in any public park (including any boundary road thereof), or other public place (including any parkway) under the control of the Parks and Recreation Commission, except under the auspices of public authority:

(e) dig up, cut, break, remove, deface, defile, or take any tree, bush, plant, turf, rock, gravel, building, structure, fence, railing, sign or other thing connected with such park of place. . ."

Well they can keep their bottle caps I guess!
I GUESS they could claim you are "digging up turf"? Why not just head to the beaches?
 
Yup just go when in the late evening and weekends and you should be fine. I've had similar experiences here, and late evening/weekends is the way to go!
 
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