The DuPont City Council has banned unauthorized digging and excavating in city parks and property, as well as using metal detectors for that purpose.
The unanimous vote came Tuesday.
Although local treasure hunters say hobbyists are usually careful about leaving parks undisturbed, city staff said the recommendation came from the DuPont Historical Society , which was concerned about the risk of disturbing archaeological artifacts given the area’s historical significance .
DuPont city attorney Gordon Karg clarified that residents will be able to use metal detectors and dig with permission on private land. If someone loses a valued ring or other object, they also will be able to use a metal detector in public parks so long as they do not remove soil or objects from below ground, he said at the council meeting.
Penalties for violating the ordinance could result in warnings or a citation and fine, DuPont mayor Ron Frederick told The News Tribune.
Restrictions on metal detecting and treasure hunting vary by county, city and park. The city of Tacoma does not have an outright ban, said communications expert Maria Lee.
Metal detecting is allowed in 52 parks in Washington state , but discovered objects that have historical or archaeological significance can’t be removed from where they’re found and must be reported to park staff. In Pierce County you can metal detect at Dash Point State Park, Joemma Beach State Park, Kopachuck State Park and Penrose Point State Park.
The DuPont Historical Society gets phone calls “quite often” from people with metal detectors wanting to know where they can look to find historical objects, said Carol Estep, who serves as treasurer of the DuPont Historical Society and was its president for 10 years.
Estep said it’s hard to know how many people are out digging in DuPont, or what they find, because the society isn’t usually notified when something’s found. Artifacts buried in the ground could be anything from square nails to arrowheads, musket balls, leather, saddles, glass or pottery. There also could be debris or tools from the original Fort Nisqually or DuPont dynamite company , which operated from 1906 to 1976, she said.
“We don’t know who comes to dig. We don’t know what they’ve uncovered. We don’t know what they’re taking away,” said Estep, who encouraged hobbyists to explore other state parks instead. “It’s just better for us to say you cannot dig on city property.”
Metal detectors — ‘unsung heroes’?
Although no member of the public spoke at the council meeting, some local metal-detecting enthusiasts said they opposed DuPont’s ban. They argue hobbyists are careful to leave parks as they find them and say the craft has a lot of health and community benefits.
Bonney Lake resident Chris Holden said people with metal detectors are the “unsung heroes” of parks and said it’s sad to hear some cities are banning it.
Holden is the shop manager of Black Jack’s Metal Detectors and mining equipment rentals in Renton. He organizes scavenger hunts (or “treasure hunts”) and is involved in several metal-detecting clubs locally. He also coordinates a community litter-removal program to pick up needles and sharp metal from parks, lakes and rivers.
“The metal-detecting community is such a small community that it’s easy to push around and regulate,” he said. “A lot of veterans like metal detecting because they have PTSD and it’s relaxing. It’s good therapy for some people, to get outside, as well as good exercise. There’s also a lot of families that do it together.”
With the cost of gold going up and more TV shows featuring metal detectors, Holden said he’s seen more interest in general and in diving excavations.
Holden said there are many misconceptions about metal detecting. Most metal detectors use a small tool or screwdriver to dig into the soil and don’t go more than a few inches deep, he said. The chance of finding an artifact is small, and most of them aren’t made of metal anyway, Holden said.
“Would you rather have something discovered and research and learn about it? Or would you rather leave it in the ground to rot forever where no one can enjoy it? It’s kind of the trade-off,” he said. “A vast majority of detectors have a passion for history. They like learning about things.”
He’s found a silver dime in DuPont before, as well as coins, aluminum foil, beer caps, nails, gold jewelry and military buttons elsewhere. Holden can often find lead and fishing weights around water and considers its removal “an environmental issue that we’re hoping to rectify.”
Tacoma resident Jim Franklin hunts for coins and jewelry every day in retirement. He said there weren’t many good public places in DuPont to search anyway because of the military owns a lot of property over there.
A member of the North American Miners Association and the Cascade Treasure Hunters club, Franklin said the hobby is a good way to meet people. The clubs “harp on everyone” to be considerate about not digging too deep or damaging the topsoil, he said.
“We’re real cautious about it,” he said. “It’s just a hobby most anybody can do.”
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