## Drone Rules - Chiricahua National Monument








**Drone flights are banned** in Chiricahua National Monument.





















### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the monument
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit
- The sky island ecosystem hosts over 170 bird species including rare elegant trogons



















### Source
- Chiricahua NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/chir/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
- ESA Layer: ⚠️ Jaguar movement corridor — federally endangered;
  ESA Section 9 take prohibition active throughout monument
- Cultural Layer: ⚠️ Cochise Stronghold — Apache historical landscape;
  Chiricahua Apache ancestral territory
- Wilderness Layer: ⚠️ ~10,290 acres designated wilderness

## Geographic Boundaries
Chiricahua National Monument is located in Cochise County, Arizona,
administered by the National Park Service.
- Total area: ~11,984 acres
- Coordinates: 32.0122° N, 109.3417° W
- Nearest city: Willcox, AZ (~36 miles northwest);
  Douglas, AZ (~60 miles south)
- Terrain: Rhyolite Canyon; pinnacle rock formations (balanced rocks,
  sea of stone); Turkey Creek; Sugarloaf Mountain (7,310 ft MSL);
  mixed conifer and pine-oak forest; Sky Island biodiversity corridor
- Northernmost Sky Island in Madrean Archipelago biodiversity corridor
- Jaguar (Panthera onca) — federally endangered; documented movement
  through Chiricahua Mountains; El Jefe and other named jaguars
  have been camera-trapped in this corridor
- Chiricahua Apache ancestral homeland — Cochise and Geronimo
  historically occupied this landscape; Fort Bowie NHS nearby
- Faraway Ranch Historic District — National Historic Landmark
  within monument boundaries
- ~10,290 acres designated wilderness (P.L. 94-578)
- US-Mexico border ~60 miles south — CBP operational awareness
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G

## 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 monument
- Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. § 1531) Section 9 — jaguar
  federally endangered; Chiricahua Mountains are documented jaguar
  movement corridor; drone operations in canyon bottoms and forest
  zones = potential take via harassment
- ESA Section 9 — Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida)
  federally threatened; old-growth pine-oak canyon nesting documented
- ESA Section 9 — Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis)
  federally threatened; Turkey Creek and riparian zones = critical habitat
- Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — ~10,290 acres designated
  wilderness; motorized prohibition
- Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) —
  Chiricahua Apache and prehistoric Mogollon cultural sites
- National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — Faraway
  Ranch Historic District National Historic Landmark
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — premier birding
  destination; 170+ species including elegant trogon, sulphur-bellied
  flycatcher, and zone-tailed hawk
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3
- ESA Section 9 (jaguar): civil penalties up to $25,000;
  criminal penalties up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment; USFWS
  Jaguar Recovery Program actively monitors southern AZ corridor
- ESA Section 9 (spotted owl + leopard frog): same penalty structure
- Wilderness Act violations: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months
- ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment
- MBTA violations: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months imprisonment
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers

## Special Permissions
- NPS Special Use Permit required; ESA Section 7 biological assessment
  mandatory for jaguar, spotted owl, and leopard frog habitat zones
- USFWS Tucson Ecological Services coordination required for
  jaguar corridor operations
- ARPA federal research permit + Chiricahua Apache tribal consultation
  required for cultural landscape documentation
- Wilderness compliance plan required for ~10,290-acre wilderness zone
Submit requests to: Chiricahua National Monument Superintendent,
12856 E Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643
USFWS jaguar coordination: Arizona Ecological Services Field Office,
2321 W Royal Palm Road Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit

## Geographic Boundaries
Chiricahua National Monument is located in Cochise County, Arizona,
in the Chiricahua Mountains.
- Total area: ~11,985 acres
- Coordinates: 32.0126° N, 109.3428° W
- Includes Bonita Canyon, Massai Point (6,870 ft MSL), and rhyolite
  rock formations
- Nearest city: Willcox, AZ (~36 miles northwest)

## 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) — Chiricahua Wilderness area
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Wilderness Act penalties for motorized equipment in wilderness zones
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by park rangers

## Special Permissions
- Scientific/biological research with NPS-approved research permit
- Official NPS resource management only
- Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only)
Submit requests to: Chiricahua NM Superintendent,
12856 E Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643

## Drone Rules - Chiricahua National Monument



**Drone flights are banned** in Chiricahua National Monument.








### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the monument
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit
- The sky island ecosystem hosts over 170 bird species including rare elegant trogons




### Source
- Chiricahua NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/chir/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit

## Geographic Boundaries
Chiricahua National Monument is located in Cochise County, Arizona,
in the Chiricahua Mountains.
- Total area: ~11,985 acres
- Coordinates: 32.0126° N, 109.3428° W
- Includes Bonita Canyon, Massai Point (6,870 ft MSL), and rhyolite
  rock formations
- Nearest city: Willcox, AZ (~36 miles northwest)

## 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) — Chiricahua Wilderness area
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Wilderness Act penalties for motorized equipment in wilderness zones
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by park rangers

## Special Permissions
- Scientific/biological research with NPS-approved research permit
- Official NPS resource management only
- Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only)
Submit requests to: Chiricahua NM Superintendent,
12856 E Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643

## Drone Rules - Chiricahua National Monument

**Drone flights are banned** in Chiricahua National Monument.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the monument
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit
- The sky island ecosystem hosts over 170 bird species including rare elegant trogons

### Source
- Chiricahua NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/chir/planyourvisit/rules.htm