arobfeds21, welcome to the forum.
..... I've just begun researching and it is overwhelming....
By "overwhelming", do you mean the subject of the OP on this 10 yr. old thread ? Namely: Law, rules, etc... ? If so, then your "overwhelming" is probably only because of .... doh ... threads like this. Ie.: you read some stuff somewhere, of someone who got hassled. Or some place where persons on a thread muse "allowed or not". Blah blah blah. Then the psychology of "shark attacks" take hold. It works like this:
You are thinking of going swimming at the beach. However, you read a story about "shark attack" somewhere around the world. And NOW, no matter HOW FAR AWAY, no matter HOW REMOTE, no matter HOW RARE, and despite that 10k people per day swim in the ocean w/o attack, yet ..... Guess what you'll be thinking of ? Shark attacks. Right ? Contrast to if you'd never read about that fluke attack, you'd have never have given it a moment's thought.
So too is the same psychology at play here in md'ing circles: All it takes is one person to muse: "Is it allowed at such & such place?" or some fluke story of an over-zealous ranger hassling someone. Others read that, and then promptly rush out to seek clarifications of their own intended locations . After all, they don't want to be hassled. Or they're worried "gee, what about my place?" or "Gee, does this grey-area verbiage apply ?"
You see how it just snow-balls. It causes more persons to ask and wonder, which likewise, prompts more people to worry and ask. And asking for and about places where it has NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE to anyone. And then, sure as heck, someone will go ask a power-that-be : "Can I detect?" (can't be too safe, eh ?). They receive the "safe" answer (from someone who would otherwise never have thought of it, simply because they envision geeks with shovels, or they consulted with a purist archie). That "no" gets floated around forums, and .... guess what ? Driving the engine to cause-yet-more people to get the overwhelmed "everyone hates us" fear.
It becomes a self-feeding and self-fulfilling vicious loop.
Just avoid a) obvious historic sensitive landmarks, b) high traffic times and/or archaeologist conventions, c) nice manicured grass when busy-bodies are present.
But for run-of-mill innocuous beaches, parks, forests, etc..... : Don't overthink it. I authorize you. Now go find some cool stuff
And, if you do get the opportunity.....Lordy, pls let me know. I would be very grateful.
