ColoradoProspector   CP Club Membership Info.

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

 
Reply to this topicStart new topic
MDing in "Open Space" Jefferson Co, CO
Evil Ernie
post Feb 6 2005, 08:40 AM
Post #1


Rock Bar!
****

Group: Members
Posts: 314
Joined: 23-August 04
Member No.: 184



All,
I paid a visit to Bill over at Gold'n Detectors on Friday. Picked up a couple things and talked about detecting in general around Colorado. He mentioned that Jefferson County officials have been playing around with an idea to allow metal detecting in the Open Space areas in the county. Not sure if there's any documentation for it but it's something that should be watched. He said that MDers would need to pass a "certification class" prior to beeping in these areas. At first I was a little aprehensive at having to jump thru a couple of county hoops, but seeing the potential for MDers here, it's hard to pass up. Taking a cert class would therefore make you a Certifed Metal Detectorist in Jefferson County...hmmm has potential! I'll keep in touch with Bill regularly to see how this is progressing. Remember, this has just been an idea thrown around by county officials, therefore, nothing may come of it.


--------------------
Evil Ernie
www.myspace.com/evilernie69
www.youtube.com/evilernie1969
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Denise
post Feb 7 2005, 09:57 AM
Post #2


Master Mucker!
*****

Group: Admin
Posts: 7,186
Joined: 7-October 03
From: Colorado
Member No.: 4



Thanks for the heads up EE! B)
That sounds like very interesting information. That would be cool!
This could be a great opportunity for detectorists in Jefferson County!
Bill is a great guy who is always full of great information and stories about Metal Detecting.

Here is a link to his site
Gold-N-Detectors


--------------------
Education is the key to the future,
and participation opens the door to opportunity.

Discover your prospecting independence & success!

ColoradoProspector.com

Owner/Webmaster
Core team member

Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Tom-ia
post Feb 12 2005, 08:19 PM
Post #3


Shovel Buster!
***

Group: Members
Posts: 61
Joined: 1-February 04
From: northwest Iowa
Member No.: 78



Actually I dont care for this idea. Public areas should already be open to metal detecting. This sounds like they are trying to do us a favor and I just dont believe it. This is just another way they want to regulate something that they have no business regulating. It could be the first step in a long and painful process of closing all public areas in the county to detecting.

If I wanted to come there and detect, but didnt arrive until Saturday or Sunday or on a holiday for instance, and I detect without having "certified" is that fair. I am a very conscientious detectorist, and never hunt private property without specific permission from the land owner, I go out of my way to pick up trash others have left behind, and fill back all of my holes, and holes other less conscientious people leave, and always abide by any public rules or regulations. BUT: Again, what if I havent certified before my arrival in the state. What if they limit the times and places a person can certify before detecting, does that mean I may have to come to that particular county maybe weeks or months ahead of my scheduled vacation just to certify if thats the only time they have their "certification class, or tests"?

Would I be able to contact the county employee responsible for conducting the certification process on weekends or holidays so he could certify me? If anyone thinks so they really have no clue how government works.

Not only this but what kind of fees are they going to start charging, and what are those fees going to be used for? Are they going to educate the public on metal detecting, or will they use the fees to enhance or expand the "open" areas for metal detecting. I dont believe they would. They will be used for some other "more important" purpose.

This gives them some other way to prosecute honest hobbyists, like the govt already tries to interfere with prospecting and mining.

I do agree and am outspoken about people who do violate existing laws, rules or regulations, and agree wholeheartedly with their prosecution. But how many times in prospecting or mining for example do the "govt enforcers" go beyond the limits of fair play and interperate the laws the way they want to, just because they have an ego, or superiority complex, and are on a power trip.

Sorry about getting on a soapbox here, but the more I think about this the higher my bloodpressure is going, so I have to stop for now.

I have to repeat, in my humble opion,this is a BAD IDEA.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
CP
post Feb 13 2005, 08:37 AM
Post #4


Master Mucker!
*****

Group: Admin
Posts: 4,149
Joined: 7-October 03
From: Colorado
Member No.: 3



Hi Tom,

Let me do a little explaining here.....
Open space is in fact deeded to the county or city entity so they have quite a wide range of rules that they can implement which range from digging on open space to walking your dog, carrying weapons and yes even whether or not you can leave the trail in open space.
They (county or city) actually do own the land so it's not "public" property.

Your'e right Tom, coming here over a weekend would prove a problem to get certified.
Don't know if they will accept certification from other states or?
The same area (Jefferson county open space) will also allow dredging along clear creek which flows through Jefferson county open space. You have to contact the county office to aquire a written statement of permission from the county (I've never done this yet)
This is also true if one wants to prospect any land in Colorado owned by the Colorado State Land Board. Land the State board "owns" outright as well.

I hope this didn't get the blood pressure too high there Tom.... :)
Just another one of those "land status" issues that really isn't understood by most.
Hope this clarifies the situation a little.
I think your'e right though... They need to address the weekenders and how the can get certified.


CP


--------------------
CP-Owner/Administrator
www.ColoradoProspector.com

IF YOU USE IT, THE GROUND PRODUCED IT!
MINERS MAKE "IT" HAPPEN!!


Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Evil Ernie
post Feb 14 2005, 01:25 AM
Post #5


Rock Bar!
****

Group: Members
Posts: 314
Joined: 23-August 04
Member No.: 184



Add to the fact that theres a LOT more public space to detect on without certification than there is open space. Consider open space to be "wilderness" in suburban areas. Not that much "open space" here tho. By opening open space to MDing, we only get a few more acres to beep on. Not a big deal, but it is enticing as it's virgin territory to MDers. As far as public area's, I've been finding that local authorities don't mind at all if you're MDing responsibly.


--------------------
Evil Ernie
www.myspace.com/evilernie69
www.youtube.com/evilernie1969
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Tom-ia
post Feb 15 2005, 11:52 AM
Post #6


Shovel Buster!
***

Group: Members
Posts: 61
Joined: 1-February 04
From: northwest Iowa
Member No.: 78



So apparantly open space is just another way of saying it is private property if I understand it correctly.

Thats ok, I still dont believe in a certification process. I still think it is just another way for the govt to hassle people who just want to enjoy themselves, in a hobby that has no business being regulated that way. If that kind of a certification process ever does get started it can lead to any number of things detrimental to the ones who detect. Their may be another way in which certification can be a good thing though. (See the LONG paragraph below)

Open space ought to just be opened up to detecting like any other private property or maybe some particular county office could be in charge of writing the permission letters or forms, but I dont think certification should be required and fees should not be charged. If not, it would be better to just leave it closed to detecting.

Now I do believe that if a certain piece of ground has a historical importance, and is closed to detecting, a person should be able to certify somehow to detect that piece of land ------with supervision of a museum or some other state or national authority (depending on who controls that piece of land), with all finds being turned over to a local or state museum for proper identification, cleaning, cataloging, and placing current value on it, etc. Ownership should remain with the detectorist who finds it since he did certify, but if a particular item is of extreme historical importance, then the local or state museum should be able to retain it as long as it is used in a current display. And if displayed, the owner should be identified as its contributor to the museum. When not displayed returned to the owner, and if the owner ever does want to sell that item the museums have first offer at it for the listed value. If no museum wants it or is willing to pay the price for it, then the owner should be able to sell to another private individual.

Once again sorry about the soapbox,,,,LOL, but I guess when I get feeling a little bit radical I do carry on.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Evil Ernie
post Feb 15 2005, 09:05 PM
Post #7


Rock Bar!
****

Group: Members
Posts: 314
Joined: 23-August 04
Member No.: 184



Tom, I'm totally on board with you, public land is public land no matter what, and certs are just another hoop to jump thru. Unfortunately, there are those MDer's albeit far and few between, that leave open holes, leave trash, and generally wipe their collective posteriors with the MDer's Code of Ethics. It's because of these lower forms of life that we get lumped in with the likes of looters and grave robbers. NJ and VA have already passed laws that eliminate the public land rights of law abiding MDers because of these few A-holes.
Now here's the part that I'm torn over.
Public land consists of parks, picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, and the like. Generally, MDer's have access to these places (except NJ and VA), and can detect to their hearts delight provided they follow the Code, plain and simple.
Open Space, is land that is off limits to just about everybody: the public, developers, miners, MDers, etc. You are not even allowed to move a twig or grain of sand. It is to be left as Ma Nature arranged it. Being from NJ myself, this land was "supposed" to keep developers from going apeshit and building a cookie-cutter yuppie community out of it. The State achieved this by driving the property tax so high that farmers couldn't produce enough Jersey Sweet Corn and Tomatoes to pay for the land. Therefore, the State foreclosed on the land, and designated it Open Space. But then lo and behold, enough developers greased enough politicians to get around it and ended up building on it anyway. My mom bought a house out in the "sticks" and thought that life was peachy. But then the farm behind her 2 acre plot was forced out due to tax rates. Immediately it was placed on the Open Space register. A year later, a whole friggin community sprung up in her back yard. So now, her well has run dry, the water is polluted from poorly designed and built septic systems, and wetlands across the road from her are drying up. Trust me she's livid. She's a "Born Again Greenie" and can't understand how her warm fuzzy Commie State Gov't could let this happen...I have to laugh. She originally bought the place for 170K (a total steal in NJ) and after some improvements and such, saw the value jump to 225K in one year. Now with the issues at hand, her value has dropped to about 150K.

Ok, I've deviated enough here from the original idea. :P

All in all, I think the only saving grace for certification is that we'll be able to weed out some of the badguys. You know they won't get certified therefore busted as they should be.


--------------------
Evil Ernie
www.myspace.com/evilernie69
www.youtube.com/evilernie1969
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post

Reply to this topicStart new topic
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:

 



Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 28th March 2024 - 10:59 PM