Please read the message below and take action NOW! There is a bill in the Georgia legislature right now that will protect landowners from lawsuits when they allow people to hunt and fish on their property. The bill number is SB75 and is titled the Landowners Protection Act. It would be nice to see this bill include more then just hunting and fishing. The FMDAC would like to see it include metal detecting, prospecting, arrowhead hunting, and fossil and rockhounding. We are asking that everyone contact the sponsors and ask them to amend the bill to include these hobbies. We have nothing to loose here and a lot to gain. Georgia already has laws dealing with our hobby that tends to inhibit gaining permission. This would ease landowners concerns when asking permission. A big caution here, when you make contact, please refer to it simply as metal detecting and do not mention Civil War relic hunting. Link to the bill http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb75.htm Link to Senators page http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/senate/senatelist.php Here is the contact info for the sponsors; Bill Heath Capitol Office: 109 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 651-7738 Fax: (404) 651-5795 District Office: 2225 Cashtown Road Bremen, GA 30110 (770) 537-6383 (F) (770) 537-5234 Email: billheath@billheath.net George Hooks Capitol Office: 431 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 656-0065 Fax: (404) 463-5547 District Office: P.O. Box 928 Americus, GA 31709 Phone: (229) 924-2924 (O) (229) 924-2091 (F) Email: george.hooks@senate.ga.gov Bill Cowsert Capitol Office: 109 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 651-7738 Fax: (404) 651-5795 District Office: P.O. Box 512 Athens, GA 30603 Phone: (706) 543-7700 Fax: (706) 202-3211 Email: bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov John Bulloch Capitol Office: 110-B State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 656-0040 Fax: (404) 463-2279 District Office: 3554 Bulloch Road Ochlocknee, GA 31773 Phone: (229) 683-3420 (O) (229) 683-3749 (H) Email: john.bulloch@senate.ga.gov Ross Tolelson Capitol Office: 121-C State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: (404) 656-0081 Fax: (404) 651-6767 District Office: P.O. Box 1356 Perry, GA 31069 Phone: (478) 988-1206 (O) (478) 987-0325 (H) Email: ross.tolleson@senate.ga.gov Jim Buterworth Capitol Office: 325-B Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg. Atlanta, Ga 30334 Phone: (404) 463-5257 Fax: (404) 463-2535 District Office: P.O. Box 2000 Cornelia, Ga 30535 (706) 499-7567 Email: Jim.Butterworth@senate.ga.gov This is the message I sent the Georgia Senators, if you wish to use as an exaple you may: Honorable Georgia Senator Bill Heath, I have been contacted about your Senate Bill 75 "Landowner Protection Act of 2009". I am hoping you can amend it to include metal detecting, rockhounding or any like activity. We encounter landowners that will not open up their lands to our activates because they are afraid of a lawsuit. I understand in Georgia under present law, we have to obtain written permission from the landowner to detect his land. If detecting is included in the bill more would be willing to allow this type of activity. Metal detecting is a great hobby and protected by the "Antiquities Act" which allows us to search for coins, bottles, arrowheads on surface or any other object that is not at least 100 years old and is not of historical or archaeological significance. Thank you for your time, Mike Smith Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs www.fmdac.com Southwestern Chapter President (10 States) 4650 N Mammoth Mine Road Apache Junction, AZ 85219 480-983-7011