On Mon, 16 Jan 1995, Byron A. Johnson (813) 228-0097 wrote:
 
> Regarding metal detector enthusiasts/pothunters,
>
>         I think there is a need not to throw the baby out with the
> bathwater. First, in my humble way of thinking, a pothunter is different
> than a metal detector enthusiast.  The former are merely artifact hunters
> and there is no way to employ them in  credible archaeology. Some metal
> detectior enthusiasts HAVE aided legitimate archaeology (you've all seen
> the stories) by helping legitimate archaeologists without access to
> sophisticated magnetometers find concentrations of materials. While they
> (constructive metal detector enthusiasts) may be in the minority, condeming
> all metal detector enthiusiasts smacks of the gun control arguments.
>
>         The challenge is to restrict the site destroyers and to  educate
> and channel the enthusiasts. There will always be more of them than us, and
> they just gained control of congress.
>
Indeed I have found this to be true in at least one case.  We recently
had a project at a local State Park Civil War battlefield site.  The SOW
called for metal detecter use to identify and excavate all metal contacts
within a certain area.  Having no knowledge of metal detecters, we
contacted a local "metal detecter enthiusiast" and state archeological
society member for assistance.  He volunteered 4 days of his time,
teaching me and others the use of the metal detector, and greatly
assisted us in the project.  He even submitted his experience to the
state society newsletter.  He waxed poetic about his chance to work with
professional archeologists, and came away with a new perspective on
scientific archeology.  He learned, and we learned.
 
This is not to say, of course, that all metal detecters are "good"
people- niether are all archeologists :).
 
Jack H. Stewart
Arkansas Archeological Survey
P. O. Box 1249
Fayetteville, AR
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