No TVA Metal Detecting permits anymore

[doc801]

Hello All,
I recntly went to renew my TVA permit and received the following message.
Subject: RE: TVA Metal Detecting permits
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 11:20:16 -0500
From: EIC@tva.gov
To: doc_801@hotmail.com
CC: tvainfo@tva.gov


Thank you for your inquiry. TVA is no longer issuing metal detecting permits. Metal detecting is no longer allowed on TVA managed land.



Thank you.



Ginger Seeber

I think it nice that a Government Agency now makes policy. I responded by forwarding this message to Senator Corker. It seems the government know what is good for us. I think at 61 working all my life I can make my own decisions. Just another piece of property that is lost to our hobby and recreation.

Keep Digging Doc

 

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[Sandman]

You are one of the very few that would forward this or any shut down of lands to your legislator. Many just wring their hands and say, "What can I do?"

 

[Tom_in_CA]

doc801, this just illustrates the folly of "permits". Anytime talk of restrictions, bootings, etc.... comes up, md'rs always chime in and say "wouldn't it be nice if there was a permit system everywhere?" blah blah blah. But as your situation shows, a "permit system" simply gives space for the issue to be perpetually re-considered, at any time. You know, like at the annual meetings, when decisions and policies are made, updated, considered, etc... If you have some odd-ball thing on there like a permit for such & such, it just brings it up for perpetual scrutiny. MUCH better to simply be un-addressed, and off anyone's radar, as something that needs to be "permitted" or "sanctioned" by their princely say-so, to begin with.

 

[etechdigger]

Hi Doc

I live in Chattanooga and have a TVA detecting permit that is soon to expire. Some months ago when I heard that Tva was no longer going to issue permits I wrote them a letter to inquire why they were doing this. The reply I received was from Erin Pritchard (Archaeological Specialist). She advised me that they were doing this because some sensitive areas had been disturbed and TVA was reforming their policy to more closely resemble that of the National Park Service. You know when TVA was first formed it was to control flooding and provide low cost electricity. I guess now they are in the business of protecting us from ourselves.


David in TN.

 

[cudamark]

Looks like you need to get your TN hunting buddies together to start a letter writing campaign to open the lands up again. If you can outnumber the Arkies and busybodies, you might just get it overturned.

 

[VeteranRelicHunter]

In the statement " some sensitive areas have been disturbed " I see a false pretext on the part of the archaeologist mentionerd. If, indeed, some sensitive sites were disturbed, how do they know it was detector users that disturbed them? . It seems that this is one of the few groups of taxpayers that can be denied a legitimate recreational use of public lands with impunity. I urge everyone affected to write to their public represenatives at all levels of government and demand to know why this is so. You probably will get some generic answer about the need to protect sensitive archaeological sites. Don't accept that-ask them how it is that your local park or all state or county land can be a sensitive archaeological site? Good Luck!

 

[TN-detector]

I'm also from TN and new to metal detecting . I was going to check into getting a permit next week. This really sucks i was wanting to detect our old home place that was partialy flooded by the tellico lake. LOL they gave us 600 bucks an acre and not a lot for house and barns. If we didnt move they would condem it and give us less. What a bunch of crooks! Can you give us the e-mail adresses so i can send em a nice letter ? Thanks AL

 

[rainyday101]

Lucky you don't live in Wisconsin. All Department of Natural Resources water ways have no detecting allowed. This means only private ponds are okay. No state lands. Pretty soon it will be illegal to own a detector in Wisconsin but we will still be able to buy assault weapons at Wal-Mart! To our wonderful state archeologist who made all these bs laws, I say get screwed! I just go detecting and if someone were to approach me about it being illegal I will just play dumb. When it comes to private property I do not trespass and only hunt on private property with land owners permission. I did talk to one game warden about it and he said he more important things to do than to bother someone detecting for coins and rings.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

In the statement " some sensitive areas have been disturbed " I see a false pretext on the part of the archaeologist mentionerd. If, indeed, some sensitive sites were disturbed, how do they know it was detector users that disturbed them? . It seems that this is one of the few groups of taxpayers that can be denied a legitimate recreational use of public lands with impunity. I urge everyone affected to write to their public represenatives at all levels of government and demand to know why this is so. You probably will get some generic answer about the need to protect sensitive archaeological sites. Don't accept that-ask them how it is that your local park or all state or county land can be a sensitive archaeological site? Good Luck!

Veteran relic hunter, you ask:

"If, indeed, some sensitive sites were disturbed, how do they know it was detector users that disturbed them? "

The answer is what you say yourself next in your very post:

" I urge everyone affected to write to their public represenatives at all levels of government and demand to know why this is so. You probably will get some generic answer about the need to protect sensitive archaeological sites."

Do you see? People have done that VERY thing that eventually puts it in front of the archie, for their approval .... TO BEGIN WITH. So contrary to what your advocating, asking for more clarifications and sanctions is only exasperating the very thing you think it will solve. So you've answered your own question.

 

[cudamark]

If detecting is already banned, complaining can't do any harm. If you ***** and complain loud enough, you might get it overturned. You need to be persistent however. If you become a real pain, they'll relent just to get rid of you.

 

[scaupus]

Ironic, as the TVA projects themselves destroyed untold number of sites. This is typical of our situation as md'ers. Developers, private and govt, have free rein to run amok developing land, nature and human history be damned, but we, little, nearly harmless ants, get stomped on. But that's our problem generally these days.

Having said that, organized groups do influence policies. I think the path to power is through md clubs and md equipment manufacturers who will support campaigns to imrpove md opprtunities.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Having said that, organized groups do influence policies. I think the path to power is through md clubs and md equipment manufacturers who will support campaigns to imrpove md opprtunities.

Scaupus, It's already been tried. It's called the "FMDAC". But the sad truth is, there is simply not the #'s and dollars, within our hobbyist ranks, to affect much of anything. Unlike, say .... the NRA (where there's gun-buff hobbyists everywhere), metal detectors is not so. There's just too few hobbyists in this niche hobby.

 

[Red James Cash]

Welcome to Agenda 21folks.Its going to get worse not better.

 

[rock]

Well I have found the same thing out here where I live at in North Ga. Every year I have used my MD in a area that always has let you do it and I viewed the DNR site and called. They said you can use your detector but you cant dig. What The! How can you do that I asked and why cant you dig? The answer was people digging were disturbing native land. And then I was told even if you found something and it was worth more than $25.00 you couldnt keep it. I guess I wont be going this yr.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Well I have found the same thing out here where I live at in North Ga. Every year I have used my MD in a area that always has let you do it and I viewed the DNR site and called. They said you can use your detector but you cant dig. What The! How can you do that I asked and why cant you dig? The answer was people digging were disturbing native land. And then I was told even if you found something and it was worth more than $25.00 you couldnt keep it. I guess I wont be going this yr.

rock, let me see if I understand you correctly. You say: " Every year I have used my MD in a area that always has let you do it ..."

Then I don't see what the problem was ? If, in actual effect, no one cared, and you went for years, and they "let you do it", then .... why did you call? That seems to me like a "can I pick my nose?" type of question.

 

[don-noreen]

Our TVA Metal Detecting permits (we each have one) were expiring last year in June, we spoke to the head of the TVA Police at that time who said they were TEMPORARILY not available due to upcoming legislation, but that our current expired cards would be honored and recognized by the TVA police. She also said to keep checking back, which my husband Don remindied me to do today, which led us to this forum.
So here's a Q for fellow hunters... "no more hunting on TVA lands" ~ how does one fully discern if property IS tva or NOT?
Thanks,
Don and Noreen
in Alexandria TN

 

[scotty544]

I say just go hunt, Like the other guy said, most of them have more important things to worry about. If anyone does stop you, they will surely just ask you to leave. Just play dumb and leave.

 

[don-noreen]

I like the way you think, Scotty544, thanks

 

[scotty544]

I like the way you think, Scotty544, thanks

Hope it works out for you guys.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I say just go hunt, Like the other guy said, most of them have more important things to worry about. If anyone does stop you, they will surely just ask you to leave. Just play dumb and leave.

scotty scotty scotty, tsk tsk. How can you say such a thing? Aren't you afraid of "arrests" "tickets" "confiscations" & "jail" ? I mean .... surely you know that secret navy seal agents are hiding behind every tree, waiting to jump out and accost you! And not only that, they have calculators at-the-ready to do the math on the age of your coins. Heaven help you when that navy seal sees one is 51 or more years old!!