National Park Service bans drones in Yosemite

This controversy is somewhat reminiscent of when automobiles were first introduced, or for that matter any 'new' technology. People complained that cars would spook the horses, and cause the destruction of the world as we know it. In reality, it did, and still does, but I don't see hardly a soul who does not drive or use this form of transportation these days.

Once created, it is impossible to go back, hence the only thing that can be done is to regulate it. However, to regulate anything, you then need to enforce those regulations, and that costs money...our tax money!So, it basically comes down to how much of a disturbance it is, versus how much are we willing to pay to stop said disturbance. Last time I checked, we have a huge national debt, so I don't really understand how we are paying for anything, let alone these newly added things, but I digress.

Maybe they should set aside an area of the park, or allow a permit during certian times of year when it would be less disturbing.

I have read the many comments pro and con on drones in a beautiful wilderness that millions visit every year. Several problems exist with our technological world growing by leaps and bounds every day not months or years. We need strict laws forcing every tourist to set their phones to vibrate, learn to speak without screaming, teach your kids park manners, ban every non electric vehicle and use the electric bus mass transit and of course never every have a damn drone belching out the screams of city life. We all need to step back from urban life when visiting our national parks and become one within loosing technology other than our faithful cameras. I have visited the parks only in the fall and man can it be wonderful with the snow and so few people , no kids screaming and the shots I got are breathtaking.

People complain of tourists. Unless you actually live in Y Valley, everyone who goes there is a tourist. Yes, there are too many peeps and cars, but that's a population-versus-places-to-be ratio. In a country that elects to log, mine, and drill, baby, drill more than preserve wilderness, the problem is exacerbated. Vote your choice, but remember that people will go in ever greater numbers to the wild places left. For those of us who have hiked higher than treetop level in Y Valley, the chance to get above the fray remains. Drone flyby's so someone can be a youtube hero would affect that. In areas that were originally set aside as wild and scenic places, fully and completely, and that remain preserved because they are, specifically, storehouses of natural recreation (original sense of the word, to re-create yourself, not "play with your toys"), drones are as out of place as a kid's radio controlled car underfoot on a New York City sidewalk. Yosemite is not a private sandbox for anybody.

Thank goodness. Yosemite is sacred land to any who have spent time there. The thought of privacy invading and experience compromising noise machines intruding on this is disturbing, to put it mildly. Can't anyone simply enjoy the peace of hearing the wind in the trees, the silence of a hawk flying high above, the rustle of water through the stones in the rivers without intrusion of small engines buzzing about with cameras filming you below?

Reason prevails, thank you, National Park Service for this.

As I write below - the worst thing in scenic and interesting places are tourists. The next worst thing is all tourist adaptations of the scenic places. The third worst thing is digital cameras. Film cameras were OK, they were not used constantly by thousands of totally incompetent tourists that is in the way everywhere and demand that their wives and daughters and friends shall stand in front of the object of scenic value. Cars and roads and tourist buses! I forgot those. Ugly!

Drones. Yeah ... it is actually a good idea for a serious photographer. You can take some really nice pictures with one of those, with some planning and some skills. But ... of course ... if everyone and their dogs fly around with noisy drones everywhere ...

Life is a bitch! And in particular tourists.

They need to implement a "Drone Day" every other Tuesday.

The use of drones for commercial use (including personal gain EA YouTube/Vimeo) within the U.S. is already banned via the FAA regulations.

The FAA is not enforcing it yet so it's good that individual public/private/gov entities are. There was a case where a judge threw out a fine the FAA imposed on an operator but the FAA appealed that the next day.

We are from the US & operate Drones legally in Canada where you are required to obtain a SFOC permit to operate + liability insurance (our policy is 5million). At 1st we where annoyed by this but now understand why. We have various Drones used for commercial & feature films, ranging from 10 to 75lbs.

Any equipment that is flying has the potential to be very dangerous & needs to be regulated for public safety via training/permits/knowledge. Just like any license to operate, it limited & regulates the operator & put more liability on them.

Even thouse little white DJI phantoms that are so popular & seriously hurt someone, disfigure & potential be fatal (a person flew one last week into Vancouver Airports airspace while an on coming plane was approaching at 200ft (yes they where a few hungered ft away but the potential was there, also reports of drones going rogue flying as high as possible before falling) this was operating over a busy street. The operator doesn't realize that there is no redundancy w/ 4 props & they will break eventually.

So is a 7lbs weight falling from 200ft & hitting you or your child acceptable to you? Without regulation you would not know who is operation in the area & they would not be insured so all liability/responcablity would be on the bystanders below.

Yes it's a valuable tool for photography but until it can be insured in the US, it need to be banned.

If you want further info google Transport Canada SFOC to see the guidelines, restrictions & requirements. Or vistor our site for drone cinematography info www.rvrd.com

Are loud Harleys allowed to drive through the park? I've been to Zion over a dozen times and the Harleys are annoying. I don't mind them in the city, of course, or being used for transportation. And I'm sure they are a joy to travel on from place to place, but I sure wish there was a switch that made them of reasonable sound that could be flipped within a certain distance of national parks (and me sleeping in my tent).

It's just plain rude to make a lot of noise with anything in a quiet, peaceful area (and that includes yelling, loud music, etc.).

Treat national parks like libraries: Only make sounds that are necessary. Yes, you have to bang in tent stakes. Yes, you can laugh or call the kids to dinner from across a field. But we all know that some people are oblivious to the comfort level of others in public places. They never stop to think, "Is my behavior a disturbance to others?"

That's why I didn't take my kids to quiet restaurants when they were little.

Manners.

Yes, I don't want to see any drone in my beloved park.

"a license that demonstrates basic capability to operate a drone safely"

Every driver in America has a license showing capability to operate a vehicle, and what, we have 55,000-some fatalities a year? Millions of fender benders? I've already had a quad that some chucklehead was flying miss me by less than a foot, and I'm simply no longer interested in someone else's toys in my face, just like I don't want some kid's radio-controlled car underfoot on a public sidewalk.

Totally agree with this ban. Anyone who truly appreciates the purpose and mission of our National Parks would readily agree (I think). Unfortunately, there are many out there who think the parks are "playgrounds" to do as they wish or are simply unaware of the legislative mandates regarding our National Parks. Even the military has acknowledged that there are severe restrictions regarding overflights in National Park areas and have altered their training missions, etc. to avoid the air space over the Parks. I was wondering how long it would take before the "drones in the parks" issue hit the media. Someone mentioned wilderness areas. Same restrictions will apply to them also.

I'm amazed at how many posters agree with this ban. I can understand controls, but a flat out ban seems very unreasonable to me. Drone photography is an entirely new field opening up, with the chance of photo and video views we've never seen before. As a photographer it is concerning to me that this new media is banned from such scenic areas. Controls might include having a permit for a given day and time, a license that demonstrates basic capability to operate a drone safely, rules to protect wildlife, and noise and size limits for the drones. Yes, I appreciate and enjoy the National Parks and wilderness areas; but this ban seems offensive.

I doubt they would be allowed in National Wilderness Areas either, given that their definition is:

"an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain, and, an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions".

The fact is that the National Park Service have to draw the line somewhere between banning humans outright, and letting people do as they wish and likely ruining the atmosphere of nature with constant noise and annoyance for other people.

Having flown quadcopters I will readily agree with the NPS banning them as they are a huge annoyance to other people - the sound of them flying, the risk of them crashing, for the photographers having them buzzing around ruining perfectly set up landscapes... and really they just don't fit with the natural atmosphere I would go to a national park to experience.

The fact that they also cause harm to the local wildlife puts the nail in their coffin.

Whatever your opinion of the 'reality' of the nature in such a well travelled place, the fact is they are set aside to be quiet natural places, not play areas for those with helicopters, quadbikes and so on...

I am sure there are many other natural places you are happily allowed to fly...

Drones are illegal in Zion National Park as well. And here's a recent example of why boys with toys can be obnoxious:

"Drone Harasses Bighorn Sheep at Zion National Park"
http://www.nps.gov/zion/parknews/droneharassesbhs.htm

It's not often that the DPR editorial slant takes such a comprehensive beating in the comments.

But that is fully justified this time.

Is it legal to shot them with shotguns.

It's a shame Pakistan didn't think of that!

Good job NPS.

Yep, actually not legal (without a permit anyway) in any national park according to the news this morning. Someone was harassing bighorn sheep in Zion this weekend.

Excellent news.

As long as they allow drones over the Playboy mansion I don't mind other restrictions.

Hopefully this is only the begining.
Hopefuly a drrone wont replace your delivery guy.

If it does i am sure that shooting them down will become the best pass time activity

Excellent decision. Some youtube hero drops a drone on tourist momma's baby, and the NPS would get sued big time. The NPS doesn't need the hassle.

good

Drone ban unenforceable as it appears illegal.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/drone-ban-at-yosemite-appears-legally-questionable/

Now I want to have government drones banned from the airspace above my property. Excellent move be NPS and I hope it is extended to all National Parks.

well done

Great news. National Parks are not the place for this type of photography. There are plenty of places in Yosemite where you can get a birds eye view already. You just might have to hike a bit.

Hysterical. People want drones banned in national parks because drones destroy the illusion that they are all alone in one of the most crowded places on earth.

Really, if you want a 'natural' experience, everyone should be forced to walk in from 20 miles out dressed in only a loincloth made from animal skins and carrying nothing more than a stick. All the roads, trails, lodges, concessionaires, and other signs of human activity would be erased. Knock yourself out. Be sure your last will and testament are up to date before you go.

Seriously, I suspect that this rule will be about as well enforced as the one prohibiting base jumpers.

less than one tenth of one per cent of the world is true wilderness let us remember that. Having taken many amazing cross high country trips in Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon and the understanding of nature and wilderness I applaud this decision.

Swarms of drones hovering over landmark vistas certainly could become a nuisance, as well as a danger. In addition to noise, people grossly underestimate the difficulty of navigation and recovery. However, thundering caravans of motor vehicles (bikes in particular) are also an annoyance.

Drone enthusiasts might seek authorization to fly over remote National Forests, or even BLM wastes, but audiences probably won't credit anything oother than flyovers of stuff they recognize immediately. In Colorado, where any sort of private tresspass is enforceable by gunshot, weed may be the only legal way to fly high.

I would like to ban the jets from Yosemite airspace. Contrails always seem to appear in my photos of Yosemite.

Great! Now if we can only ban old farts with tripods next! Photographers are ruining the peaceful atmosphere of the park with their bags of gear and loud shutter clicks.

Great news.

No problem with banning drones from national parks!
Thanks Yosemite.

Many wild areas ban use of motor vehicles, this seems to logically be an extension of that to unmanned flying motor vehicles. Unfortunately, the way it is written would also prohibit things like flying kites with a camera attached. That's ok. One kite could still ruin the "wild" view for many visitors. This is really about the ongoing national park battle between preserving nature and allowing recreational use, and I think it is fine to favor preservation a little -- especially in a place as fragile as Yosemite.

Incidentally, I blame Disney Soarin' for the proliferation of drones in the parks. ;-)

More good news from Yosemite.