Commissioner Jack Murray: Stop the banning of metal detecting on Massachusetts beaches

Massachusetts coastal beaches have been available for recreational metal detecting for as long as I can remember. Recently I was approached by a DCR Ranger and advised that metal detecting will no longer be allowed on State Beaches and come July 1, 2014 citizens will start being ticketed if found to be metal detecting on a Massachusetts State Beach.

I do not see why this form of recreation should be taken away from the citizens that enjoy metal detecting. There are thousands of us that enjoy the hobby and follow strict guidelines and a code of conduct when it comes to metal detecting. We remove any trash that we find on the beaches and we conduct ourselves in a respectable manner. In fact there have been sponsored events conducted by metal detecting vendors on Massachusetts beaches that have been enjoyed by many children and adults of this state. I personally don't know of any incident involving a metal detectorist that would give cause to ban detecting from beaches. As a matter of fact, I only know of metal detectorists helping others by returning lost jewelry and other items that they have found while detecting.

We urge you to continue to allow the popular recreational activity of metal detecting on Massachusetts State Beaches.