be5f5cb8-9839-4827-98b3-c519aa546acc

## Drone Rules - Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- Over 100,000 tundra swans winter here along with one of the densest black bear populations in the eastern US

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pocosin-lakes

## Drone Rules - Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

**Drones are not permitted** at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- Glacially scoured potholes and seeps in the Channeled Scablands support over 180 bird species and reintroduced pygmy rabbits

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/columbia

## Drone Rules - Merced National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone flights are banned** at Merced National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- One of the largest greater sandhill crane wintering populations in California uses this San Joaquin Valley refuge

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/merced

## Drone Rules - Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- Peak fall counts exceed 1 million ducks and 300,000 geese in the Sacramento Valley's largest wildlife refuge

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sacramento

## Drone Rules - Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone flights are banned** at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- Critical Pacific Flyway stopover; the refuge harbors the entire world's Pacific Brant population in spring

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/humboldt-bay

## Drone Rules - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- One of the most important shorebird and waterbird staging areas in the interior Pacific Northwest

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur

## Drone Rules - Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone flights are banned** at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- Over 200 species use this Columbia River floodplain refuge; sandhill cranes and dusky Canada geese winter here in large numbers

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ridgefield

## Drone Rules - Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- The Channeled Scablands potholes support nesting Canada geese, sandhill cranes, and over 100 breeding bird species

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/turnbull

## Drone Rules - National Elk Refuge

**Drone flights are strictly prohibited** at National Elk Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within the refuge
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- Over 8,000 elk winter at the refuge; drone disturbance could cause dangerous stampedes and energy loss during critical winter months

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/national-elk

## Drone Rules - Grand Staircase Region

**Drone use is restricted** throughout the Grand Staircase region.

### Key Rules
- NPS prohibits drones in Bryce Canyon National Park
- BLM prohibits drones in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
- Hoodoo geology, nesting California condors, and fragile soil crusts require aerial protection

### Source
- BLM Grand Staircase: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument

## Drone Rules - Bryce Canyon Amphitheater

**Drone use is prohibited** at Bryce Canyon Amphitheater and all Bryce Canyon National Park lands.

### Key Rules
- No drone flights from Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, or Sunrise Point
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit
- Thousands of hoodoos in the amphitheater and nesting Utah prairie dogs are strictly protected

### Source
- Bryce Canyon NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
- Wilderness: ❌ Kobuk Valley Wilderness absolute motorized ban

## Geographic Boundaries
Kobuk Valley National Park is located in the Kobuk Valley,
Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, above the Arctic Circle.
- Total area: ~1,750,717 acres
- Coordinates: 67.3558° N, 159.1239° W
- Includes Great Kobuk Sand Dunes (25 sq miles — largest active
  sand dunes in Arctic), Kobuk River (Wild & Scenic),
  and Western Arctic caribou migration corridor (~490,000 animals)
- No roads access; bush plane or riverboat only
- Nearest city: Kotzebue, AK (~75 miles southwest)

## Regulations
- NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units
- 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority
- 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within park
- Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban
- ANILCA (16 U.S.C. § 3101) — subsistence rights of local communities
- Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. § 1271) — Kobuk River
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
- Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by park rangers

## Special Permissions
- NPS Special Use Permit required
- ANILCA subsistence research requires tribal coordination
- WSR corridor operations require additional review
Submit requests to: Kobuk Valley NP Superintendent,
171 3rd Ave, Kotzebue, AK 99752

## Drone Rules - Kobuk Valley National Park




**Drone use is prohibited** in Kobuk Valley National Park.










### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from the NPS
- The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes (the largest active sand dunes in the Arctic) and Western Arctic caribou herd migration routes are protected






### Source
- Kobuk Valley NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/kova/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Drone Rules - Samuel P. Taylor State Park

**Drone flights are banned** at Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within the park
- Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- Papermill Creek's old-growth redwood stands support one of the last coho salmon runs in Marin County

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=469

## Drone Rules - Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

**Drone use is prohibited** at Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- An old-growth coast redwood grove along the Van Duzen River; used for filming 'Return of the Jedi' and 'The Lost World'

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=421

## Drone Rules - South Yuba River State Park

**Drones are not allowed** at South Yuba River State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- The wild and scenic South Yuba River corridor and gold rush-era covered bridges are protected

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=502

## Drone Rules - Van Damme State Park

**Drone flights are banned** at Van Damme State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within the park
- Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- The pygmy forest (centuries-old trees reaching only 4-8 feet) and kelp forest abalone habitat are ecologically unique

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433

## Drone Rules - Patrick's Point State Park

**Drone use is prohibited** at Patrick's Point State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- Steller sea lion haul-out at Mussel Rocks and gray whale migration viewing are sensitive to aerial disturbance

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=426

## Drone Rules - Castle Crags State Park

**Drones are not permitted** in Castle Crags State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- Ancient granite crags rising to 6,500 feet over the Sacramento River canyon support peregrine falcon nesting

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=453

## Drone Rules - Palomar Mountain State Park

**Drone flights are banned** in Palomar Mountain State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within the park
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- The mixed conifer forest near the Palomar Observatory requires quiet dark skies; the observatory's instruments are sensitive to electronic interference

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=637

## Drone Rules - Mount San Jacinto State Park

**Drone use is prohibited** in Mount San Jacinto State Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the state park wilderness
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from California State Parks
- The 10,834-foot summit and San Bernardino National Forest wilderness protect threatened Peninsular bighorn sheep

### Source
- California State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=636

## Drone Rules - Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield

**Drone flights are prohibited** at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within the park
- Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit
- Confederate earthworks from Sherman's June 1864 assault remain remarkably intact on the mountain summit

### Source
- Kennesaw Mountain NPS: https://www.nps.gov/kemo/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Drone Rules - Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

**Drone use is prohibited** throughout the Klamath Basin NWR complex.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within any of the six refuge units
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- The complex is the most important wintering area for bald eagles in the contiguous US; up to 80% of Pacific Flyway waterfowl pass through

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/klamath-falls-forests

## Drone Rules - Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone flights are banned** at Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- One of the most productive canvasback duck breeding marshes in the western US

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ruby-lake

## Drone Rules - Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- A critical Great Basin wetland; over 280 bird species have been recorded including white pelicans and tundra swans

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/stillwater

## Drone Rules - Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone flights are banned** at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone use within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit from the refuge manager
- The Green River section protects critical staging habitat for tundra swans, Canada geese, and shorebirds

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/seedskadee

## Drone Rules - Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

**Drone use is prohibited** in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the monument
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from the BLM Arizona Strip Field Office
- The monument is a primary California condor release and foraging site; drone disturbance threatens condor recovery

### Source
- Vermilion Cliffs BLM: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/arizona/vermilion-cliffs-national-monument