Success

Efforts of the Task Force have benefited all of us who enjoy the recreational hobby of metal detecting.

In February 2012, supporters of metal detecting across the nation saw a victory with the passing of Alabama HB-54, which helps protect the rights of detectorists in Alabama. The Task Force now urges detectorists to continue to voice opposition to the matching Senate Bill 81, in the hopes of achieving another favorable outcome.

In 2011, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, closed another major park to metal detecting, Clove Lakes Park. In addition, they added a condition to the 2011 permits, which the metal detecting community feels in intolerable, and was initiated without cause. You were not permitted to metal detect within 50' of any flowerbed, shrub or tree. We have had this rule reduced to 25' and we are still working on abolishing it all together.

In 2011, the Task Force requested and received four additional parks that will be added to the 2012 NYC Parks metal detecting permit.

In 2010, Task Force efforts resulted in three additional parks being added to the 2010 metal detecting permit.

In 2008, Prospect Park and Owls Head Park were closed to metal detecting. Owls Head Park remains closed, but Prospect Park once again allows metal detecting thanks to a successful call campaign organized by the Task Force.

In 1997, all NYC beaches were reopened to metal detecting and some NYC public parks were reopened, under a permit system established between NYC Parks and the Task Force.