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Drone Rules for Effigy Mounds National Monument
Harpers Ferry, Iowa (IA)
• United States
151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146, USA
Lat: 43.0888 • Lng: -91.1856
Rules Edit History: Effigy Mounds National Monument
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Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 28, 2026 11:54 PM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Effigy Mounds National Monument based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, ARPA archaeological protections, NHPA National Historic Landmark status, and NAGPRA 25 U.S.C. § 3001 burial mound protections.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit to the drone restriction profile for Effigy Mounds National Monument has been approved. The information is accurate and well-supported by official sources, and the outline appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/efmo/learn/management/lawsandpolicies.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/efmo/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations within Effigy Mounds National Monument. ARPA archaeological protections, NHPA National Historic Landmark status, and NAGPRA burial mound provisions add multi-layer federal heritage restrictions.
- https://www.nps.gov/efmo/planyourvisit/parkregulations.htm
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Drone operations are prohibited within Effigy Mounds National Monument under National Park Service regulations. | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Effigy Mounds National Monument under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. Protecting over 200 prehistoric Native American burial and |
Before
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial: ❌ Prohibited ## Geographic Boundaries Entire monument area including mounds, trails, and protected lands. ## Regulations - NPS unmanned aircraft prohibition - 36 CFR §1.5 - FAA Part 107 ## Penalties - Federal fines - Removal from park ## Special Permissions Only with written authorization.
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit - NHPA: ⚠️ National Historic Landmark — strictest heritage protections - Tribal: ⚠️ Sacred Woodland culture sites — tribal consultation required ## Geographic Boundaries Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in Allamakee and Clayton Counties, Iowa, along the Mississippi River. - Total area: ~2,526 acres - Coordinates: 43.0855° N, 91.1874° W - Includes Great Bear Mound, Marching Bears group (10 bear effigies), Little Bear Mound, and 206 known prehistoric mounds - Situated on bluffs above the Upper Mississippi River - Nearest city: Marquette, IA (~3 miles south) ## 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 - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — National Historic Landmark; prehistoric mound protections - Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — prohibits disturbance of archaeological resources - Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. § 3001) — NAGPRA protects burial mounds and associated cultural items from any disturbance - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over monument ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - ARPA: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment - NAGPRA violations: fines up to $100,000 + criminal prosecution for burial mound disturbance - NHPA penalties for National Historic Landmark disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Archaeological research: NPS + SHPO + ARPA + tribal consultation - NAGPRA: mandatory consultation with 20+ affiliated tribes before any research near burial mound areas Submit requests to: Effigy Mounds NM Superintendent, 151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146
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## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned + - NHPA: ⚠️ National Historic Landmark — strictest heritage protections + - Tribal: ⚠️ Sacred Woodland culture sites — tribal consultation required ## Geographic Boundaries + and Clayton Counties, Iowa, along the Mississippi River. + - Total area: ~2,526 acres + - Coordinates: 43.0855° N, 91.1874° W + - Includes Great Bear Mound, Marching Bears group (10 bear effigies), + Little Bear Mound, and 206 known prehistoric mounds + - Situated on bluffs above the Upper Mississippi River + - Nearest city: Marquette, IA (~3 miles south) ## Regulations + - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — + National Historic Landmark; prehistoric mound protections + - Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — + prohibits disturbance of archaeological resources + - Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act + (25 U.S.C. § 3001) — NAGPRA protects burial mounds and + associated cultural items from any disturbance + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide + - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over monument ## Penalties + - NAGPRA violations: fines up to $100,000 + criminal prosecution + for burial mound disturbance + - NHPA penalties for National Historic Landmark disturbance + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions + - Archaeological research: NPS + SHPO + ARPA + tribal consultation + - NAGPRA: mandatory consultation with 20+ affiliated tribes + before any research near burial mound areas + Submit requests to: Effigy Mounds NM Superintendent, + 151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146
May 28, 2026 3:39 PM
Approved
• Added drone prohibition for Effigy Mounds under NPS regulations.
Moderation feedback
Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit has been approved. The information about the prohibition of drone operations at Effigy Mounds National Monument is accurate and well-supported by official sources. The outline you provided appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Unknown | NoFly |
| Summary | — | Drone operations are prohibited within Effigy Mounds National Monument under National Park Service regulations. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 1006892f-9deb-4af8-b973-805ea49372d8 |
Before
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial: ❌ Prohibited ## Geographic Boundaries Entire monument area including mounds, trails, and protected lands. ## Regulations - NPS unmanned aircraft prohibition - 36 CFR §1.5 - FAA Part 107 ## Penalties - Federal fines - Removal from park ## Special Permissions Only with written authorization.
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+ ## Authorization Status + - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned + - Commercial: ❌ Prohibited + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Entire monument area including mounds, trails, and protected lands. + + ## Regulations + - NPS unmanned aircraft prohibition + - 36 CFR §1.5 + - FAA Part 107 + + ## Penalties + - Federal fines + - Removal from park + + ## Special Permissions + Only with written authorization.