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Drone Rules for Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
Sudbury, Massachusetts (MA)
• United States
680 Hudson Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA
Lat: 42.4079 • Lng: -71.4715
Rules Edit History: Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
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May 30, 2026 8:42 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Assabet River NWR with UXO remediation hazard, ORH Class D proximity, and wood turtle/Blanding's turtle ESA context.
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Approved
Confidence: 0.90
Your proposed edit detailing the drone prohibition at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge has been approved. This aligns with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations prohibiting drone operations within national wildlife refuges. The added context regarding the refuge's history, habitat types, and wildlife species enhances understanding of the area's drone flight considerations. The outline has been updated to accurately represent the restricted area.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Unknown | NoFly |
| Summary | — | USFWS prohibits drones on Assabet River NWR. The former Sudbury Military Reservation is converting to wildlife habitat; unexploded ordnance (UXO) areas are present and drone operations could disturb remediation work. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 1ed3f48a-ae85-4c79-ac42-d10835115a64 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Assabet River NWR, Massachusetts **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210; ongoing UXO remediation creates additional federal safety restrictions on certain impacted parcels. ### Airspace / Site Context - Former Fort Devens/Sudbury Military Reservation; Army Corps of Engineers UXO remediation is ongoing in the western parcels - Worcester Regional (ORH) Class D is ~15 NM west; Boston Logan (BOS) Class B outer ring may extend toward the refuge in some altitude shells - Wood turtle (state threatened) and blanding's turtle (state threatened) are the target species for refuge management ### Key Rules - UXO remediation areas: drone operations near active remediation zones risk disturbing equipment or workers; contact Army Corps UXO program before any flight near marked zones - LAANC check for ORH Class D before flights in Middlesex County - USFWS Special Use Permit required; turtle research permits go to USFWS Northeast Region ### Source - USFWS Assabet River: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/assabet-river
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+ ## Drone Rules - Assabet River NWR, Massachusetts + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210; ongoing UXO remediation creates additional federal safety restrictions on certain impacted parcels. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - Former Fort Devens/Sudbury Military Reservation; Army Corps of Engineers UXO remediation is ongoing in the western parcels + - Worcester Regional (ORH) Class D is ~15 NM west; Boston Logan (BOS) Class B outer ring may extend toward the refuge in some altitude shells + - Wood turtle (state threatened) and blanding's turtle (state threatened) are the target species for refuge management + + ### Key Rules + - UXO remediation areas: drone operations near active remediation zones risk disturbing equipment or workers; contact Army Corps UXO program before any flight near marked zones + - LAANC check for ORH Class D before flights in Middlesex County + - USFWS Special Use Permit required; turtle research permits go to USFWS Northeast Region + + ### Source + - USFWS Assabet River: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/assabet-river +