Pensacola, Fl has a local version of NHPA Section 106 which calls for CRM on
city-owned property, city rights-of-way, and city sponsored/authorized
construction projects in areas identified through a professional survey
(mine) as having a high or medium probability for significant archaeological
deposits. This "Local 106" process has been in place for 10 years, has
worled moderately well, and I act as the city archaeologist and direct the
CRM, mainly through the local university (where I teach) with the help of
students and volunteers from the local archaeological society.
 
However, there has been a growing contingent of avid, rampant metal detector
enthusiasts who want to collect AFTER we have finished our archaeological
investigations in artifact-rich backfill of heavy equipment and other
disturbed contexts which are headed for the dump or reburial.  They propose
to give the owner of the property a look at what they collect and will give
up anything considered by archaeologists to be important.  Then they keep
the rest, conserve the items, and put them on display in various places.  I
have held and the city supports the position that collecting in backfill and
disturbed areas encourages looting in general and, if it is unsupervised,
can lead to disturbance of intact site areas and escalate detecting into
pothunting.  I want to hold this position, but they have strong and
emotional arguments and they are getting loud, obnoxious and even
threatening.  We must find a COMMON GROUND where we can all responsibly
share and yet conserve the archaeological resources in our community.
Thursday, Sept 14 there is a meeting with representatives of the metal
detector group, local archaeological society, and city/university
archaeologists and I WOULD LIKE SUGGESTIONS FROM ANY ARCHAEOLOGIST WHO HAS
DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Judy Bense
 
 
Judy Bense
 
 
Judy Bense
 
 
Judy Bense
 
 
Judy Bense