DIV in the news! "Washington Post link"

[Steve and Bia]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...15/AR2006041501187.html?referrer=emailarticle

 

[christian_99]

Yes...it was in the Post this past weekend and it really portrays Relic Hunters as a bunch of criminals who are organized into finding valuable relics to sell on Ebay!!! Not positive at all, especially when you think that many individuals in Government read the Post everyday.

Based upon how this article further talked about how the state Archaeologists frown upon this type of people (Relic Hunters) destroying history, it will only be a matter of time before Metal Detecting will be illegal or greatly prohibited in most states. A very powerful article against diggers! What they didn't talk about is the amount of information that we as diggers know, concerning research of units, camp sites, battle actions and so many other factors involved. In fact most who go relic hunting could actually and do actually publish books and other forms of presentations to share their knowledge with the public.

In summary, not that positive of a report and it truly makes many relic hunters appear like scavengers of American history. What the report also doesn't talk about is the thousands of sites destroyed everyday by development. Priceless areas that are vanishing and will never be replaced, in sites all over the country. I have lived in many areas around the world, and am sometimes taken aback at how quick our country destroys our heritage and history. Other countries preserve area's that are historically important, and in some sites will make them Parks and protect them. However, I can list 20 places in the past two years which have been destroyed by development; Where were the archaeologists then?

 

[Pap]

COVA is not a government agency. They are pretty much lead by a woman who has an axe to grind regarding any type of metal detecting. The staff reporter who wrote the article is in agreement with the position COVA expounds.

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

I recently called a local museum to see if they would accept donations of artifacts I found on state owned land. I was basically told it was illegal to remove any artifact from any state land. I was told about so-called "treasure trove" laws which I have been unable to verify in my state.

The Irony is that ATV's make ramps in those same old foundations with no repurcussions. Vandals drink beer and have bonfires, using wood from old structures. Campers pollute the landscape with styrofoam cups and metal foil.

On a recent trip to Florida I visited a ghost town which was once occupied by escaped slaves who were given shelter by Seminole indians. The town still shows on mapquest, but a google search of it returns no hits. The owner of the property is mining & deforesting the land, essentially wiping the town off the map.

It may be time to start a lobbying group promoting Metal Detecting as a way to preserve the history of this great nation. The same history big industry is constantly destroying.

(on the other hand, if it was illegal maybe I wouldn't get to an old site, only to find out it has been visited by relic hunters before me.)