State owned property for road construction.

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

I have hunted state parks here for a long time and never had any one say a thing to me.....

Yes, this is a common misconception on forums amongst md'rs, that "state parks are off-limits". The truth is, if you look through that fmdac list of state-by-state, not all of them say such a broad thing:

Federation of Metal Detector & Archaeological Clubs Inc.

Very few have an outright "no". However, very few have a "yes" without some sort of odd "comment". So it's a "mixed bag". But to understand that, you have to put yourself in the evolution of how-such-lists came to be ...... TO BEGIN WITH. How did the FMDAC (or anyone else compiling such a list) to make them, way-back-when? Here's how: they went and asked! Sounds logical enough, right? I mean ....... who better to ask, than the state's powers-that-be themselves? Doh For example: such was the method used by a fellow named "R.W. 'doc' Grim" when he wrote his book "Treasure Laws of the United States". He merely sent out a letter, to all 50 states state capitols, xeroxed off 50 times. It asked "what are the laws regarding the use of metal detectors in your state parks?". Then he merely sat back, and waited for 50 replies. He puts the 50 replies in alphabetic order, and publishes them in his book (complete with their own letterhead, etc... copied off for the book). The idea was, that anyone travelling around, could use this to "deflect busy-bodies" when approached. Or to know "where to avoid", etc.... Sounds reasonable enough, right?

But an odd thing happened when this book (and lists like the FMDAC's) started making the rounds: There were a lot of those states with "dire sounding wording", where .... quite frankly .... the parks had just been detected, and no one had ever had a problem. So now you had people scratching their heads, looking at things like this, saying to themselves: "since when?"

The reason for this, was very simple when you think of it: Put yourself in the shoes of the person answering such a letter. Admittedly there *might* be some sensitive historic monuments in their state, right? And thus they have to "pass this letter before the state archaeologist" for his review. Blah blah blah blah. Thus what do you THINK the easy answer was going to be? Either "no", or "inquire at each kiosk you come to", and so forth.

So to be honest with you, I don't put a lot of stock in lists like those either. I mean, sure, if you go asking enough questions, and wearing a big-red-x on your back, then sure, you'll find yourself a no or a scram. But most of the time, if you're not waltzing around historic monuments, and aren't a sore thumb, well....... you get the picture.

 

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[TerryC]

Yes, Keppy. Too much cop in me. Many times it's do as I say, not as I do. (wink) TTC

 

[watercolor]

Are there any chain-link fences, no tresspessing signs, or yellow tape?

I'm sure if you didn't stick out like a sore thumb on an early Sunday morning you'd be fine.

 

[Beans]

Dress like a construction worker, orange vest etc. If any one says something about you being dressed like a construction worker and you are not, just say "I want to be seen... Safety First".

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Dress like a construction worker, orange vest etc. If any one says something about you being dressed like a construction worker and you are not, just say "I want to be seen... Safety First".

Beans, here's a true story: Since I work in road construction, I sometimes have to wear a yellow reflective vest. One day, about 10 yrs. ago, they were getting ready to tear out an old downtown theater in my city. You know, those old 1920s "vaudeville" type of theaters where. Kind of like the one depicted in this image:

Oakes, ND : Grand Theatre and old bank building, downtown Oakes, ND photo, picture, image (North Dakota) at city-data.com

And as they gutted the interior getting ready for the whole demolition, we went in and detected all the hiding places where coins could settle. Eg.: in all the cracks along the walls around the concession stand and pay booth, etc..... We were doing ok . On one of those evenings (as we went after 5pm, when the workers cut out), I happened to still be wearing my yellow vest from work (not intentional, but just simply had not taken it off yet).

My friend and I were inside this abandoned building, and decided we were going to take out some wood-work, to access some hard-to-reach places (hey, afterall, they're going to tear the whole building down anyhow). And as we did, we ended up making "quite a racket" of noise. Well it turns out, that a neighboring business next door called the police, since they thought some homeless people or teenage partyers must be inside vandalizing the place! The next thing we knew, was we heard loudspeakers yelling to us, from outside the building, to ... "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP! WE HAVE PLACE SURROUNDED WITH POLICE DOGS!!"

We emerged from the building shaking, arms raised, and shaking in our boots! There was a single startled police man who was out there. He saw my yellow vest, and sighed in relief. He assured me that the "dogs" was only a bluff, and that he was merely responding to a call they had received. He told me he was sorry for bothering us, and to have a nice day. We never said a word, about how we were not actually construction workers He left, and we had a good laugh We ended up, over a few different trips, with about 100 old coins by exploring all the entire old building

 

[pennyfarmer]

Most of the time no one cares. I have hunted behind fences on occasion. If there is a chain link fence and they take a section down to access with heavy equipment I have just gone in. I don't think I have ever really been kicked out of any construction site. I just go when they are done. I have even chased a few dozers while they were working. I once was stopped by the cops in a fenced in area right next to the city jail. They just told us to finish it up for the day.

 

[TerryC]

Beans, here's a true story: Since I work in road construction, I sometimes have to wear a yellow reflective vest. One day, about 10 yrs. ago, they were getting ready to tear out an old downtown theater in my city. You know, those old 1920s "vaudeville" type of theaters where. Kind of like the one depicted in this image:

Oakes, ND : Grand Theatre and old bank building, downtown Oakes, ND photo, picture, image (North Dakota) at city-data.com

And as they gutted the interior getting ready for the whole demolition, we went in and detected all the hiding places where coins could settle. Eg.: in all the cracks along the walls around the concession stand and pay booth, etc..... We were doing ok . On one of those evenings (as we went after 5pm, when the workers cut out), I happened to still be wearing my yellow vest from work (not intentional, but just simply had not taken it off yet).

My friend and I were inside this abandoned building, and decided we were going to take out some wood-work, to access some hard-to-reach places (hey, afterall, they're going to tear the whole building down anyhow). And as we did, we ended up making "quite a racket" of noise. Well it turns out, that a neighboring business next door called the police, since they thought some homeless people or teenage partyers must be inside vandalizing the place! The next thing we knew, was we heard loudspeakers yelling to us, from outside the building, to ... "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP! WE HAVE PLACE SURROUNDED WITH POLICE DOGS!!"

We emerged from the building shaking, arms raised, and shaking in our boots! There was a single startled police man who was out there. He saw my yellow vest, and sighed in relief. He assured me that the "dogs" was only a bluff, and that he was merely responding to a call they had received. He told me he was sorry for bothering us, and to have a nice day. We never said a word, about how we were not actually construction workers He left, and we had a good laugh We ended up, over a few different trips, with about 100 old coins by exploring all the entire old building

I like that, Tom.... you were also bluffing, so to speak! TTC

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Most of the time no one cares. I have hunted behind fences on occasion. If there is a chain link fence and they take a section down to access with heavy equipment I have just gone in. I don't think I have ever really been kicked out of any construction site. I just go when they are done. I have even chased a few dozers while they were working. I once was stopped by the cops in a fenced in area right next to the city jail. They just told us to finish it up for the day.

penny-farmer, there's scores of places like you describe. Where ..... so long as you're not a nuisance or "sticking out like a sore thumb" begging for attention, that .... well ..... it's like you say. Yet on the OTHER hand, if you ask enough questions, high enough up the chain of command, someone's going to be forced to tell you "no".

We had a situation in my city where they tore out the inner grass courtyard of our oldest high school (blt. 1919) during some buildings demolition. At that time, we had a metal detecting club in my town. When we all read about how this work/demolition was "upcoming", we all salivated at the thought of getting in there when they ripped the grass out of this inner quad. Because for 70+ yrs, 100's of kids per day would sit on the lawn to eat their lunches. And currently, it was thick spongy crab grass, that no one ever cared to try to dig through. So in essence, it would be "virgin pickins" once the grass got scraped off

HOWEVER, as a club, the conversation in the room soon turned to "access". Ie.: "how are we going to get in there?" Because as you know, in our litigical day & age, they would certainly be putting up those temporary type fencing around the project, right? So as a club, we decided to do the "right thing" and approach the school district for "permission". We drafted a nice letter on club-letterhead. We let them know about our $1,000,000 liability policy we carry on ourselves. We let them know we'd donate all of anything they want to the historical society, etc.. etc...

Weeks passed, and we got no reply. So I called. Eventually got through the city's bureaucratic maze, to the person who'd been given our letter. He would only say that ... yes ... he'd received it, but that they were still 'thinking about it". By this time, the demolition of the buildings had started, and the phase where they'd be progressing to rip out the grass couldn't be far behind.

One night, during this time, as I passed by the on-going project on my way home from work, I glanced at the progress through the cyclone fence. Off in the distance, in clear view of all passing Main St. traffic, I could see a guy detecting in there! The grass had been scraped! So I whipped over, skimmied through a wide-spot in the fence, and went out to see who it was. Turned out it was a guy I knew from in town, yet who was not a club member. I told him "hey John, what are you doing in here? Our club is waiting on pending permission. How did you get in here?" He just looked at me like I was from outer-space, and said "I just un-did the bailing wire holding the gate shut, and walked in" In other words, he'd just "helped himself". He couldn't understand why we'd be "asking permission" (afterall, it's a public school isn't it?). And this was his 3rd night out there! In full view of Main St. traffic with nothing to hide. He held open his apron, and showed me all the coins and silver he was finding! Right about that time, a janitor came out of one of the un-affected buildings, to see what my friend had found thus far that night. Apparently he'd been coming out each night, intrigued by my buddy's finds (and didn't care less that he was out there apparently). So it was becoming the nightly routine for him to come out and "see the latest finds".

That was all I could take!! I went back to my truck, grabbed my detector, and joined him! Had a lot of fun for several weeks harvesting handfulls of silver, and 100's of wheaties. Even a silver dollar and a fluke 2c piece.

Anyhow, when the next monthly meeting came up for our detecting club, by then we'd received our "answer" from the school district office: "no" When word leaked out via the rumor mill, that I'd been in there, you can only imagine the "angst" it caused amongst some members. In their minds eyes, I had "trespassed" or "gone in without them as a club group", etc... So it was episodes like this, which caused me to take my "just go" stance. I simply can not stand back and become victim to the "know one cared till you asked" psychology.

I have seen scenarios played out like this many times. Thus I developed my attitude that I am no longer going to be "skittish" and grovel anymore.

 

[pennyfarmer]

One more thing. I normally try to hunt these places with a friend. I feel better knowing that if I go to jail I will know someone in there. LOL

 

[Jeremy S]

Still didn't get a chance to detect the highway expansion area, my work kind of screwed me on that with my schedule changing and out of town work. However I got word that the school system next to my house had acquired some old property next to it, with a old house from the early 1900s and a barn that were still standing. The plans were to demolish the place, possibly to build an additional parking lot.

I got permission from the director of facilities at the school (who did mention that a public school is NOT public property like a park would be), and spent four hours out there. Found some really cool stuff; Buffalo nickels, wheat pennies, a standing liberty quarter, an old dog rabies tag, and a toy car. The next morning the heavy equipment came in and flattened the place! I'll post some pics of my stuff in the finds forum this weekend. Too many summer construction projects going on... hard to keep track of everything for places to detect!