Sand Dunes, why cant they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

[sabre15]

Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I've lived in Florida for a long time and never understood the rule on sand dunes, especially out of sea turtle season. Why can't we hunt these areas and what are some of the penalties. I would like to know especially the east coast of Florida in particular.

Thanks
Jamie

PS: It seems as if their would be some nice finds their don't ya think!

 

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[rgecy]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Jamie,

Good topic. There have been a few debates on here if many of the coins found on the beach are erroding from the dunes or being washed up on the beach by the breakers in the shallows. I know quite a few finds have come from the base of the dunes.

As for why you cant detect the dunes, I believe the reason is that the sea oats on the dunes are protected and help prevent erosion. The sea oats hold the sand in place.

It could also be that the dunes typically mark the mean high water mark and deliniate the upper limit of the defined beach.

Robert

Found this after quick search.

Dunes are protected in Florida because they are so valuable. Access to the beach is often provided by “dune walkovers,” and the dunes themselves may be protected by low wooden stake fencing. You should avoid walking or climbing on the dunes as this destroys delicate vegetation and slows the development of the dune. Also, sea oats, which often cover the dunes, are a protected species and harvesting of the seed stalks is prohibited.

 

[Nugget Hog]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I thought of that also especially since hurricanes wash them all away every year. But you know what would happen. Someone would be digging with a dozer ruining it for everyone.

 

[rgecy]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I thought of that also especially since hurricanes wash them all away every year. But you know what would happen. Someone would be digging with a dozer ruining it for everyone.

Kip Wagner actually had a similar thought and did it. He was finding coins up and down the beach and could not determine if they were being washed ashore or if they were being washed from the dunes or under the beach. So in one of the areas where he was finding coins he dug a trench. Guess what he found? Absolutely nothing.

You can draw your own conclusions from this, but there is no doubt that people have found coins in the dunes. Weather they were washed there by tidal action or they were one of the survivors private stash is still debateable. But when there is a big blow from the North East and the beach starts to erode, the coins seem to appear!

Robert

 

[sabre15]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Thanks for the replies, it make sense to a degree, i just rarely see nice vegetation, now and then some wildflowers, but I would love to take a 2 box detector and just walk the dunes to see what comes up, private stashes and probably alot of missed treasure washed up and covered during storms.

Just a thought

 

[billinstuart]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Dunes are comprised of only windblown sand. To be moved by the wind, the particles have to be relatively fine. The vegetation is all that holds this fine sand in place. Extreme events like hurricanes usually destroy this fragile system, which mom nature rebuilds over time. Currently, with all the destruction of our beaches from stabilized inlets, the beach is eroding faster than the dune system can retreat.

Because all the sand in dunes is windblown, there will be nothing heavy ON TOP. I don't doubt that deep down there is alot of booty waiting to be found (And occasionally at night 'booty" is found in the dunes.....). All the water erosion does is displace material from the BOTTOM of the dune.

 

[signumops]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I am posting this not knowing how many of you have seen these photos. I just got them a few weeks ago. I have a collection of stuff from Charles Dana Higgs who excavated at the Cabin Wreck site area (actually he was digging closer to Ambersand Beach Access). Anyway, one of the photos shows the timbers of the Cabin Wreck lying on the the beach and the other gives up some info about stuff laying all over the place on the old "Jungle Trail". Higgs excavated on top the dune, on the front of the dune, behind the dune and, at one point tried to reach the "shipwreck in the Spanish harbor". Interesting reading. Yep, there is plenty of stuff in the dunes, but it is private property in a great many places, and I would not want you trespassing on my property if I lived there. However, a problem for beach owners is that their rights only extend to the foot of the dune, so storms basically erode their property lines. Accretion and erosion are well tested in real estate law.
Incidentally, the canal mentioned in one of the photo captions is probably the one dug by Thomas New in the late 1800's from which the marine charts in the area refer to this part of the lagoon as NEWS CUT.

 

[FISHEYE]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I got to detect and dig in the dunes next to turtle trail when this land owner was building a condo before they set the footers.I got written permission from him.He had no idea there were shipwrecks on the beaches there.I didnt find any treasure but sure did find alot of metal construction debris that got tossed from the other buildings around there.

 

[billinstuart]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Objects like wood can be washed over the dunes in hurricanes. However, heavy objects like coins do not tend to wash into the dunes, unless they were sewn into the clothes of sailors. After the recent hurricanes I found a keel across the dunes on the west side..Tommy Gore also saw it and thought it may have been uncovered there. In actuality, it was hauled from the beach to the west side of the dunes. The keel was recent..late 1800's.

My point was recent deposits. It is very unlikely anything will be found on the upper layers of the dunes. Stuff from the 1700's is either gone, or sooo deep as to be undetectable. This is where erosion becomes important..it washes out the bottom of the dunes.

 

[sabre15]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Thanks everybody for the insight, what about using a 2 box detector or an OKV/OKM with the glasses for casche hunting, is it possible that treasure lay at the very bottom center of those dunes or is it more likely torwards the shore? ( I guess if anyone knows the answer they would find it themselves)

 

[rgecy]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

Thanks everybody for the insight, what about using a 2 box detector or an OKV/OKM with the glasses for casche hunting, is it possible that treasure lay at the very bottom center of those dunes or is it more likely torwards the shore? ( I guess if anyone knows the answer they would find it themselves)

Its always worth a shot.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

dunes are off limits due to endangered (protected) sea oats which help stabilze the dunes from blowing away in normal wind (to prevent erosion)-- dunes are important buffers that help tame wave and wind damage done by storms and hurricanes -- also since most property lines start at the dunes foot --they are private property that "beach front" land owners own and will protect --to protect both their homes and land rights .

 

[Nugget Hog]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

I used a 2-box detector near the beaches before and they don't go very deep because of the salt. A Pulse deep seeker type would have to be used.

 

[sabre15]

Re: Sand Dunes, why can't they be detected (especially out of turtle season)?

what kind of pulse deep seeker would you suggest?