Those who like using drones to capture video from a birds-eye view should stay away from the Yosemite National Park.
That’s because The U.S. National Park Service has banned the use of unmanned aircraft systems at Yosemite.
In a statement, the NPS, which governs Yosemite, notes that there has been a recent increase in the use of drones to capture aerial footage and rock climbers. From the statement:
Drones can be extremely noisy, and can impact the natural soundscape. Drones can also impact the wilderness experience for other visitors creating an environment that is not conducive to wilderness travel. The use of drones also interferes with emergency rescue operations and can cause confusion and distraction for rescue personnel and other parties involved in the rescue operation. Additionally, drones can have negative impacts on wildlife nearby the area of use, especially sensitive nesting peregrine falcons on cliff walls.
The NPS cites a law in the Code of Federal Regulations that deems “delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter, or other airborne means, except in emergencies involving public safety or serious property loss, or pursuant to the terms and conditions of a permit,” as illegal.
However, as Forbes’ Greg McNeal outlines here, the NPS may be interpreting the law a little loosely when it claims that “the drone itself is the object being delivered.” McNeal explains how the existing regulations are clearly aimed at human flight, not unmanned aircraft, and were likely put in place to prohibit people or objects jumping out of aircraft.
Drone use has picked up in the past few years as drone makers release more products and companies like Amazon and Google invest in the unmanned aerial vehicles.
At the same time, the FAA is grappling over how to regulate the devices, which as of now fall into a legal gray area. More recently, a National Transportation Safety Board judge dismissed a $10,000 civil penalty issued by the FAA against a drone operator who was taking aerial footage of the University of Virginia. The FAA is also conducting research to test the legitimacy of drones sharing space in the sky with commercial airlines.
Meanwhile in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee last month vetoed a bill that would have regulated government use of surveillance drones amid concerns over public information disclosure.
We’ve reached out to three national parks in Washington — Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades — about their drone policies, and will update this story when we hear back.
Update, May 7: We heard back from Chuck Young, the Chief Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park who oversees all law enforcement operations.
Young told us that just like Yosemite, Mount Rainier also prohibits the use of drones in the park.
“Mount Rainier falls under the same nationwide set of regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations that covers Yosemite and all other National Park areas,” Young said.
