Detecting Oregon State Parks

[future]

Has anyone ever had any luck in obtaining an Oregon State Parks permit for metal detecting? I have found that they have a system with an endless loop to discourage detectorists. You call the regional office & they say you must talk to the manager of the park you want to detect to get the permit. You talk to that manager & they say you must get the permit through the regional office. An endless loop! The manager at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon told me that she does not allow detecting in the park anywhere other than the beach areas, but when I talked to various park staff members some of them had permits, as well as did some park employees. One staff member told me in confidence that the Manager only gives out permits to their chosen employees & denies them to all others.....which IS NOT FAIR. I'm still considering complaining to her supervisors about that. Any input on your own luck in obtaining a permit would be interesting to hear...........goldpaninut

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Question: Is there REALLY an actual "permit" that can or is "issued" ? What I mean is: An actual paper form, (fill-in-the-blank type) that has been issued to anyone ? Or is this more along the lines of the notion that they can permit or give permission at various parks ?

For example: If you look at the FMDAC state-by-state list, California also has similar wording. Except that in the place of "permit", it says "with permission". However, I can tell you for a fact, that you can detect CA state parks till you're blue in the face (as long as they're not historic sensitive monuments), and you will be ignored . And ... no ... no one goes to get permission.

So if there is an actual "permit", that's one thing. But if it's just a slip of handwritten paper, akin to "permission" (yet with no actual formal process or forms), then I consider that bogus. It would be no different than the CA answer to the "pressing question", where someone, ages ago, simply gave the "safe" answer. And as your experience shows, it's totally arbitrary and bogus. For example, she said you could hit the beach, not the land. I bet if you ask 3 other officials, you'd get 3 different answers. FAR FROM CUT AND DRIED rules.

So if it were me .... I would simply just go. Avoid busy-bodies, and go look for that ring you lost there last week.

 

[WhiteTornado]

We have something similar to what Tom describes for CA parks for our state parks here in Maryland. You can only hunt the beach areas -- which is true, and enforced -- but even if hunting the beach, you're supposed to "get permission from the park manager". I asked the president of my local club if he ever does that, since I know he and several other club members go to one particular state park beach area often. He says they never ask, and nobody ever bothers them about it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... I asked the president of my local club if he ever does that, since I know he and several other club members go to one particular state park beach area often. He says they never ask, and nobody ever bothers them about it.

A lot of this stuff/topic comes up, based on the oft-cited resource: The FMDAC state-by-state list. And the predecessor of that was a book from early or mid 1980s: "Treasure laws of the United States" (by a fellow named R.W. Doc Grim). In each case, they are state-by-state alphabetic listings, of the supposed laws in each state's state parks.

And the way these lists got compiled is.... yup, you guessed it: They asked! I mean: who better to ask, than the state's themselves, eh? (that's the ticket!). And then merely compile the answers they receive back in these lists.

But when those lists started making the rounds, a lot of oldtimers, in states that had dire-sounding wording, were left scratching their heads saying "since when?". It was a CLEAR CASE of the "safe answer" to pressing question psychology. Or the "no one cared UNTIL you asked" type routine. Probably the queery got passed up and down the chain, till it lands on on a purist archie's desk, and we all know what their answer will be !

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....-- but even if hunting the beach, you're supposed to "get permission from the park manager".....

Where are you getting this info that it's "... with permission" ? Consider the story below:


In the late 1990s, the internet md'ing forums were still in their infancy. Someone had posted on one of the national forums (T'net if I recall), to the effect that he was coming to So. CA for a business trip, and his hotel was a block from such & such state beach. So he was inquiring ahead as to whether it was legal there or not. Hey, that's a reasonable question eh ?

And .... being from CA, I got ready to type the answer of "yes it's legal, have a blast". However, I saw that someone else had already put an answer in . So before typing mine, I clicked on theirs to read. I was shocked when I saw the answer: The other poster had simply lifted the text from Grim's book, word for word, on the laws/rules for CA state parks . Mind you: the state beaches are administered by the SAME parks dept that administers the land parks. So there's no technical reason why the rules for their beaches would differ.

The answer the other poster gave was very dire sounding. Ie.: alert the park ranger upon coming and going. Flag each spot where/if you find an old item, and alert the state archaeologist (yeah right). Turn in all items of value to the park kiosk, blah blah blah.

Therefore, ever since then, when I read of supposed dire rules for other state's state parks, (EVEN WHEN ACCOMPANIED by text lifted from some source like this), I sometimes ask myself if it's really true, and/or if anyone *really* cares ?

 

[WhiteTornado]

Where are you getting this info that it's "... with permission" ?

From the state's own site. Link is below, the part under D1. Again, from what I have heard, it's not exactly enforced.

MetalDetecting

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Tornado, granted: If some state had actual wording like what you link, then there's no getting around that. HOWEVER:

a) if it's merely someone answering a submitted question, with what is *actually* just commentary on their laws/rules, then I do not consider that "law or rule". Like with CA, to allude to "disturbing vegetation" laws, then conclude "ask at each kiosk", is more like commentary, not actual law. See what I mean ? But in your link's case, it's actual policy, specifically mentioning/saying: "metal detectors"

b) I have a sneaking suspicion of the origin of such rules, in places where such specifics exist. And no, it's not "holes" or "archies".

 

[goldhat]

Has anyone ever had any luck in obtaining an Oregon State Parks permit for metal detecting? I have found that they have a system with an endless loop to discourage detectorists. You call the regional office & they say you must talk to the manager of the park you want to detect to get the permit. You talk to that manager & they say you must get the permit through the regional office. An endless loop! The manager at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, Oregon told me that she does not allow detecting in the park anywhere other than the beach areas, but when I talked to various park staff members some of them had permits, as well as did some park employees. One staff member told me in confidence that the Manager only gives out permits to their chosen employees & denies them to all others.....which IS NOT FAIR. I'm still considering complaining to her supervisors about that. Any input on your own luck in obtaining a permit would be interesting to hear...........goldpaninut

I know this is an older post but I would have reported the manger of the park.

Have you had any luck since?