I got off the phone with the state parks here in California this morning....talk about crazy...you can metal detectic in state parks here...you just cant dig anything..other than with your hands..you can hunt state beach's.. but they have no laws or Regs. to say that... there worried about people digging big holes looking for artifacts or take dirt home with them to looking for gold...I told them I am just looking for coins and jewelry...she said I don't know and know body here knows..and they,ll get back with me on that.....I bet!!!!!
Jhen999, I wish I'd seen this thread of yours when you first put it on a few days ago. I've been detecting in CA since the mid 1970s, and seen the entire evolution of it. So let me set you straight on some fact about the "state parks" here:
The verbage someone cited you, to boot you out of a land park, was in effect in the 1980s too. But it was just that .... well ... it was never enforced or cared about. Basically they're relying on cultural artifact verbage. And maybe verbage about 'altering' or 'disturbing' and 'collecting' and 'removing' too. There's nothing there that specifically actually refers to "metal detecting", but simply other things morphed to apply. Because, let's face it, you and I "disturb" and "collect" and "take" etc...
And check this out: The EXACT SAME PARKS DEPT. that administers those inland camp grounds, parks, etc... is the EXACT SAME PARKS DEPT. that administers the state of CA BEACHES too. So in theory the rules are the same. Ie.: cultural heritage, defacement and alteration, collecting/harvesting, etc... So there's no reasons why the same rules can't be used to kick you off their state-of-CA ocean beaches too. But you want to know something interesting? ;
You can hunt state of CA beaches till you're blue in the face. Yup. Right in front of rangers, cops, lifeguards, etc... They will pay you no mind. All I can figure is that those rules you speak of (whatever that ranger was citing to you) are just historically deemed to apply to the land parks, not the beaches. There's no technical reason why they don't apply to each equally. But that's just the way it is. And the LAST thing you or anyone should do, is go asking questions, seeking clarifications, etc.... Get it ?
So I hope your question doesn't go up-the-chain of command, to someone who feels the need to "address this pressing issue". And then bad things can happen. Like .... "BOL's" sent out to rank and file rangers, workers, etc... to boot md'rs. At present, you can hunt state beaches here, and we need to keep it like that. In fact, you used to be able to hunt state in-land parks too (like you recall). All I can figure is that .... well-meaning md'rs, back then, went asking permission, questions, etc.... and got us in some sort of "spot-light", leading to "no's", and then bootings, etc...
