People like this really make my blood boil... :veryangry:

[GoGoGopher]

On a Facebook Page I recently joined I got this reply to one of my posts...






Frank W. Pandozzi
Hi Robert, my name is Frank Pandozzi, I am the Executive Producer of Exploring Historys Treasures metal detecting, TV series. I live in CNY.

I noticed your blog where you mentioned Pratts Falls. May I worn you that you should be careful where you are detecting, and what you are finding there, and where you post, especially when it comes to State Parks, and County Parks, which fall under the NYS Education Law. You cannot dig any item over 50 years old in those areas. You need a permit first. And even then you may not get one, and they limit you to certain areas only. How do know? I've been doing this for 35 years. I have been harassed by State officials as well as Archaeologists due to my high profile, and TV series. These beauracrats are looking for anyone who has broke their law. I had to study State regulations when I was being harassed by the State attorney General. I know many individuals in NYS who have been arrested for detecting on State lands, or in parks where they are not suppose to be. Yes, the laws suck, but if you break those laws, even unknowingly, you give ammunition to the beauracrats to shut down even more areas. Believe me, I have a lot of experience in this BS.

Thanks
Frank

This was my reply


Robert Lemp
Hi Frank:

I have NEVER been harassed anywhere I have detected...If it is County
or State land, I always check to see if I need a permit or permission
(I never have been refused a permit)...I have even been approached by
workers at County Parks, and all they show is fascination...Have you
ever considered that your problems do not stem from detecting, but from filming?
Cameras scare people more than anything...
You also answered that question when you said you are HIGH PROFILE.
Perhaps you should give up the filming if you intend to enjoy the hobby...
You're also taking what should be a private venture and making it commercial...That changes ALL the rules...
YOU are the problem sir...NOT I...

Happy Hunting,

 

[Sailorman]

ZZIIIIINNNGGGG! Nice reply.

 

[mudpuppy]

n/t

 

[blade310]

You Da Man GoGo!!

 

[INCH]

Zinc pennies are around thirty years old , so tell him to give you a break. Executive Producer TV series Franky Pandemic

 

[Nirros]

Thats Funny you posted this Gogogopher....I was just watching some of his shows and read his website about 4 hours ago. He is right and here in NY those laws do exist. There is a site, cant remember it right now, that gives you an entire list of your state parks and whether or not you need a permit. Oh did you know you cannot dig raw gold or silver on your own land? yep thats a primitive law and only in Beautiful New York! lol

 

[marcomo]

I couldn't have said it any better myself...or even half as well.

Great response, Robert!

 

[MNCoinhunter]

Great response ..

And I think Minnesota also has exclusive mineral rights. Not a whole lot of gold being found up here anyways but it still sucks.

 

[GoGoGopher]

I DO realize that those laws are on the books...Most Police and even Park Rangers do not know about them...Like I stated, I have NEVER had a problem anywhere I have hunted...I have hunted State Parks that required Permits, County Parks that required you to show them your Photo ID so they could keep track of who was in the park at what date and times, City Parks, Schools, Beaches, and Private Property (with Permission)...You have to use your head wherever you are, and your equipment and techniques need to change depending on where you hunt...As long as your not tearing up the sod, or digging 8 foot wide holes to China, most workers in parks just ask what you're doing, what you're finding, or want to know how it all works...I have not had any worker tell me I had to leave...I DID step onto someones Private Property once by accident, and found myself looking down the barrel of a Glock. A Lesson I learned very fast...Be aware of where your at...I have nothing wrong with shooting a documentary...But do it once, and put the hobby in a good light...I think the more we air what we do to the public, the more questions arise, and the more the lawers and lawmakers start itching to stop us...In this hobby, MUM is the word...It pains me that it has to be that way, but I think it is for the best...

HH,

 

[Nirros]

I am agreeing with you....sorry I forgot to add that . You did very well in your response to him. If he messages back I would love to hear his excuse to badger you.

 

[GoGoGopher]

This is the reply I received...I have since left this Facebook Page.
So what he is implying to me, is that I have no idea what I am doing, and that I should join his "organizations" so he can teach me...HAHAHAHAHAH!!!
I laugh at these guys who have to complicate everything...Just enjoy your hobby and keep it simple...Know the laws, but don't spend every waking hour thinking your going to go to jail if you go out in the park...If someone wants to arrest me for the coins I find, or even the occasional gold or silver ring...They have WAY too much time on their hands...There are larger things in this world folks should be worried about, than something I dug out of the ground that otherwise would have laid there until the worlds end probably...


Frank W. Pandozzi Robert, I welcome your opinions. And again, it was never my intention of getting into a pissing match. I am the NYS Director of WWATS, http://www.wwats.org/, it

 

[mudpuppy]

I hope you learnt your lesson about talking to strangers on Facebook! This is so damn funny! "If detectors are outlawed, only I will have detectors"
Mud

 

[Sailorman]

While I do believe we should put a good light on the hobby whenever possible and obey pertinent laws I never find anything over 50 years old. Nope, not me. So unless they want those old square nails from that house foundation or some old pennies they can just move on.

I do think we need to organize a bit better to show some politicians numbers. They don't like numbers, especially voters in numbers. If voters tell them in enough numbers change your stupid laws they have to listen. Trouble is I don't know if there's enough of us.

They are turning the tables a bit over in AL. A relic diver and metal detector has made a big enough stink that I was just reading an article about a bill in the state that will mean the Arkies lose if it's in the water anywhere in the state. Finders keepers. Makes sense since there is no underwater archeology going on there. Also will push back the age to 100 years on land, not 50. Be interesting to see how it pans out.

 

[William-NM]

He sounds like a whiner. Wonder what agency he asks permission when he has to go potty?
The really stupid thing is that it could and should be a win-win situation between 'detectorists' and archaeologists/Gov't Agencies/Hysterical Societies, etc.
- Most of our finds NEVER would have seen the light of day if not for our efforts.
- Most of us are responsible enough to report significant finds (at least if we weren't afraid of being arrested for doing so).

If it weren't for the 'fear mentality', a lot of items might come to the attention of 'arkies', historians, etc. that currently don't because of their belligerent attitudes. I, for one, would be pleased to help them out from time to time.

Even the UK has more reasonable laws than we do in some ways. Remember the story of the unemployed guy who bought an old metal detector at a yard sale for $6 and went on to discover one of the biggest hoards of gold in farmer's field last year? He did the right thing and reported the find. The British Museum (?) got to finish the excavation and evaluate the find. Then, they have to establish the fair market value of the find and either buy it themselves or put it up for auction. The man who found it and the farmer will split the take 50/50.

Maybe we do need a national organization to lobby for our rights and keep membership informed/educated. Of course, membership would almost have to be compulsory, because the blockheads who give the hobby a bad name probably wouldn't join otherwise, sigh.

 

[GoGoGopher]

WWATS and FMDAC are 2 organizations that are supposed to help change the laws for detectorists, but as stated earlier, there are too few of us to make much of a difference...

HH,

 

[1ringedingy]

You can always tell a new Yorker... But you usually cannot thel them very much.

I have to go next door and tell my Dog friend to watch where she digs!

Ray

 

[johnmusk]

My take. I live on Long Island. The metal detecting laws that exist for state and county parks are generally unknown and not enforced (by employees or police). A close friend of mine works for the Suffolk County parks department. He told me his co-workers (including park super) have no knowledge of metal detecting laws. In fact he rarely sees a person with a metal detector at any of the parks he visits. Is there anybody on this forum who has been stopped while hunting on public land in New York? If so I would like to hear about it. I have never been stopped at any public park or school. If anything the police and employees that talked to me were more interested in finding out if I was having any luck..one police officer even recommended another school site to hunt! Private schools are of course another matter, I was kicked off once by a squawky local resident who claimed to be on the school board. He was probably just some rabble rouser but I left anyway.

If you want to try and get permission to hunt every public park you visit...go ahead...but understand the employees probably have no idea if detecting laws exist or not, and might tell you "no" just to cover their butts.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Of all the replies you've received so far, John-musk's scratches the itch the best

Sure this Frank guy might be able to show you rules you are supposedly breaking. And heck, he may even be right. Anyone here could probably add a few more you are breaking too: Like disturbing earthworms, violating lost & found laws, verbage about "no collecting" (written so as to keep people from helping themselves to park landscape features), and maybe interfering with migratory birds, and so forth.

What I'm trying to say is: if ANY of us, asked ENOUGH questions, of ENOUGH bureaucrats, then you can find someone to tell you "no" for ANYTHING you ask.

And this Frank guy said he was contacted by archies and told he can't do this or that? Well duh, what did he expect?? Archies hate md'ing! I mean, this would be a little like asking the president of PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals, a wacko animal rights organization): "Can Ieave my pet bunny in the car on a sunny day while I run into 7-11 to get a slurpee?" The animal rights wacko would scream: "Neeooo!!!! the bunny might get too hot, you can be arrested for animal cruely, your car will be confiscated", etc..... And they might even be able to cite animal cruelty laws, etc.... But honestly, does anyone really care exept the bunny fanatic? Of course not. Will the bunny actually be harmed? Of course not.

So it's the same way when I read/hear of archie's putting their spin and interpretation on whether I can hunt parks. I don't put much, if any, stock in it at all! As John-musk said: There are SCORES of places you can hunt till you're blue in the face, and no one cares or gives you a moment's thought. But sure, if you asked enough archies or desk-bound bureaucrats, you can eventually find one to tell you that you can't even pick your own nose.

It's noble that this Frank guy makes detecting shows, or whatever. But he's got to realize that this world is filled with kill-joys (who might even be able to cite chapter and verse, that no one cares about except them). And to simply give them lip service, rather than thinking we all need to cower and hide, and try to make wacko archies happy, when no one except them probably even cares. If Frank's objective is to make every archie happy, then he might as well give up all detecting, even on private land, lest an archie find some minutia to morph to apply to your "terrible act".

 

[GoGoGopher]

In the 7 years I have been detecting now, I have personally NEVER been asked to leave anywhere I have hunted...I have only once accidentally wondered onto Private property with dire consequences...I have only seen 1 sign that said no detecting allowed...Only heard of one individual asked to leave a school grounds...So as you can see, the odds are so far in my favor...I keep the laws in mind, but I do not spend too much time in worrying about being arrested and fined...Common sense usually keeps me safe...It is all in knowing where and when you should be hunting and should not be hunting...

HH,

 

[INCH]

I don't like the way this guy introduced himself , mentioned the Laws , then went into his educational trip about laws , like you are Ignorant from the beginning. I think findmall forums is high profile 24/7 . And Findmall represents more about people digging in the dirt then you will ever see on BOOB TUBE. There is a lot of infomation on this site about laws and proper techs. There are a lot of good videos and pics of finds on this site. If you want high profile , it is findmall.com. I have benn detecting for 1 and half year now and I new from the start that common sense would tell me to not detect where I should not.