Encouraging responsible metal detecting

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FourWinds F
FourWinds Aug 1, 2005 13:39:54
Replying to Cheshireman

Hi Chesireman, welcome to TMA

It seems to be the common consensus here that taking any artifact, whether found through fieldwalking or 'metal detectoring', and not reporting it is a bad thing and should be illegal. It is, after all, 'theft from the nation' to deny them access to part of their history/heritage.

I'm not so sure that fieldwalking is all that big a hobby as using metal detectors. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't imagine you get many fieldwalkers going nighthawking for instance.

A large proportion of MD users are responsible, but the few that aren't should be clamped down upon. If the MD community as a whole isn't prepared to self-police then an outside 'authority' should do it for them. No community wants that to happen, so why the seeming lack of action from within? That does look like they're all 'up to no good' even if they aren't.

B BrigantesNation
BrigantesNation Aug 1, 2005 14:10:17
Replying to FourWinds

"I'm not so sure that fieldwalking is all that big a hobby as using metal detectors. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't imagine you get many fieldwalkers going nighthawking for instance."

1. It depends on the site - there's a lot more fieldwalking than detecting happening at Tbro.
2. It's not so easy to spot a fieldwalker - they don't have lithic detectors to give the game away. For this reason there's no need for them to nighthawk - they don't have a MD and they don't dig holes.

I should also add that in my view opening this debate up to all artefact hunters also allows one to see the myriad of grey areas that exist. There are perfectly acceptable reasons why some artefacts are not recorded or that recording is delayed until a later date.

V venicone
venicone Aug 1, 2005 16:14:26
Replying to FourWinds

quote "If the MD community as a whole isn't prepared to self-police then an outside 'authority' should do it for them. No community wants that to happen, so why the seeming lack of action from within? That does look like they're all 'up to no good' even if they aren't."

How would you suggest I as a "mere" female "self-policed" the md community - and even if I knew someone was not recording their over 300 year old finds how would you suggest I "made them" do this?

What action would you like to see the responsible detecting community who already record their finds with PAS take to resolve this issue?

Does it make me look as if Im up to no good if I am unable to persuade others to record?

Why do you think that none of the recording community are trying to "convert" non recorders into recorders?

Take a look at this :

http://www.ourpasthistory.com/md/indexa.htm

Then tell me what else you think I should do to convert all the non recorders.
If only life was that simple :)

Corinne