Do you think I need to get permission?

[urbss]

A small window of opportunity for detecting is available to me right now and I am not sure if I need to seek out permission or not before going forward. I'd like to know what some of you think.

There is a small lake near where I live. I believe the land is owned by the town borough. The lake is primarily and surrounding area is primarily used for fishing, picnics, and there is a little league ball field on the property.

This lake is manmade and is over 100 years old. I was talking to an older gentleman who is very involved with the Historical Society and shoots in my pool league. He said that when he was young many people used to swim in this lake all the time. There is no swimming there now.

They recently drained most of the lake. I heard that they are trying to kill off some vegetation in the lake. I stopped by there today and there are place where you could walk out onto where the water was for at least 60 feet or more (probably a lot more). Some areas look very mucky, but there are some areas where it looks like the mud is drying nicely and would be suitable for walking out with a detector.

I can't imagine anyone would mind someone detecting and digging (as long as the holes were filled back up again), but I'm not sure. I'd like to go check it out.

So, what do you all think? Should I just go for it? I'm not even sure who I would go to for permission and I have the feeling that it is not going to be like this for very long (not to mention I'm sure the snow will be flying around here very soon).

Thanks for your opinions!!!

Tom

 

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[weldermark]

urbss,
if there are no other restrictions for mding in your town and the lake is public i'd say go for it,you could also talk to the parks dept. or court house and find out what the possibilities are,bet they let you

good luck

Mark

 

[RON (PA)]

I would talk to the folks at city hall. If, by some chance, the borough does not own it, they will be able to tell you who owns it. Either way, it is best to get permission. Right now it sounds very tempting to just go out and detect it, but a 5 minute visit to city hall can save you a lot of money in fines.
Just my opinion

 

[urbss]

Thank you both for your insight!!

Like I said in the original post though is that I think it is going to be a very very very short window of opportunity and with Friday being the day after Thanksgiving - I really doubt I would get any answers at the courthouse (I would bet that most, if not all, important Gov. people will be off on Friday.)

I think my only chance will be on Sunday. I know the lake is a public (recreation) area. From what I understand, the city (borough) parks are free game in this area unless otherwise posted. I think this place would fall into this category even if I were to MD on the grassy areas (let alone the middle of a lake that will be filled back in very soon).

Oh yeah, btw CHKNHAK, I see that you live in "The Burgh"!! GOOOOOO STEELERS!!! Anyway, if you would like to join me on this adventure - depending upon what area of the city you live in, it is only about 90 minutes from "Dahntahn" Pittsburgh to the lake that I am talking about. Care to join me? If I decide to go for this (which I am really leaning towards), I think I will be going there about 11:00am Sunday morning. Hell, if it doesn't work out, there is a park about 2 minutes away that is LOADED with clad.

Tom

 

[vwayne1]

Just do it. If anyone cares, they will let you know.

 

[TreasureTales]

If it's within the borough (or even if it isn't), just call the local law enforcement office (don't dial 911, of course!) and ASK. You can usually remain anonymous and they should be able to tell you if there are any laws (ordinances) against MDing the lake bed. Law enforcement offices never close, so they'll even be there on Thanksgiving, so call them and hear what they have to say. Good luck and please keep us up-to-date on what you learn (and hopefully what you find.)

 

[beerdoodle]

I would just go hunt it. Sounds public to me. And once you start asking questions from authorities, some needle nose geek will give you reasons why you cant, liability, etc. The lake will be re-filling soon. I grant you someone will beat you to it if you dont.............

 

[Sandman]

I would say to ask for permission first. However, I wouldn't. Grab your detector and get in there hunting. If it is not permitted, they will warn you if they even bother. Then you can do the right thing an ask. Be sure to cover your holes and remove any trash from the shore and what you find on the bottom. Try to hunt the swim area first an good luck. Tell us what luck you have, we'd love to hear it.

HH,
Sandman

 

[urbss]

Re: Do you think I need to get permission? UPDATE

I just wanted to give you all an update.

My wife said to me that instead of waiting until Sunday to check out the lake, why not head up right after work on Friday. So I did!!!

I had less than an hour before it got dark. I turned on the ACE and the first target was a penny, then a nickel. I couldn't tell what I had because the coins were extremely dirty.

All in all, I got 3 pennies, 2 nickels, 1 quarter, several pull tabs (still looking for that elusive ring) a big sinker and a fishing lure. All the coins were clad. I thought it was a pretty good deal for less than an hour and only searching a very small area.

I had a distration when trying to hunt. A buddy of mine that I work with only lives a short distance away and came down with his adorable little girl to hang out with me while I was detecting. I took some time to explain the detector and showed him how it works.

Without my buddy there I'm sure I could have found a lot more stuff, but the cool thing is I think he now wants to buy his own detector - so by taking the time to answer questions and show him some stuff - I may have acquired a new hunting buddy!! And there should be plenty of time to get lost in the search tomorrow morning.

 

[vwayne1]

A new hunting buddy ..... PRICELESS. You found the treasure.