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Drone Rules for Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
Middle River, Minnesota (MN)
• United States
22996 290th St NE, Middle River, MN 56737, USA
Lat: 48.2998 • Lng: -95.9825
Rules Edit History: Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
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Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 30, 2026 7:53 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Agassiz NWR with wolf den-site buffer, moose calving cow/calf separation risk, and Minnesota wolf pack management context.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit detailing the drone prohibition at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge has been approved. This aligns with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations prohibiting drone operations within the refuge. The added context 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 Agassiz NWR. The 61,500-acre northwest Minnesota refuge hosts Minnesota's largest wolf pack and critical moose calving habitat; drone activity triggers prey-flight responses. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 462e5cbe-3944-40d1-a63b-ef6a57822be2 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Agassiz NWR, Minnesota **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. ### Airspace / Site Context - Home to one of Minnesota's most stable resident gray wolf packs; USFWS wolf management requires no disturbance to den sites (March-July) - Moose calving (May-June): cow moose with calves are aggressive and drones trigger flight responses; cow/calf separation increases calf mortality - Thief River Falls Regional (TVF) Class D is ~30 NM west; no controlled airspace over the refuge ### Key Rules - Wolf denning season (March-July): 0.5-mile buffer from known den sites; USFWS wolf biologist tracks pack GPS collar data - Moose calving season (May-June): no UAS within 1 mile of documented calving areas - USFWS Special Use Permit required; wolf-related research requires USFWS wolf team coordinator notification ### Source - USFWS Agassiz: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/agassiz
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+ ## Drone Rules - Agassiz NWR, Minnesota + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - Home to one of Minnesota's most stable resident gray wolf packs; USFWS wolf management requires no disturbance to den sites (March-July) + - Moose calving (May-June): cow moose with calves are aggressive and drones trigger flight responses; cow/calf separation increases calf mortality + - Thief River Falls Regional (TVF) Class D is ~30 NM west; no controlled airspace over the refuge + + ### Key Rules + - Wolf denning season (March-July): 0.5-mile buffer from known den sites; USFWS wolf biologist tracks pack GPS collar data + - Moose calving season (May-June): no UAS within 1 mile of documented calving areas + - USFWS Special Use Permit required; wolf-related research requires USFWS wolf team coordinator notification + + ### Source + - USFWS Agassiz: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/agassiz +