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Drone Rules for Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Galloway, New Jersey (NJ)
• United States
800 Great Creek Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA
Lat: 39.4644 • Lng: -74.4505
Rules Edit History: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
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Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 30, 2026 7:24 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Forsythe NWR with ACY Class C overlay, 200,000-shorebird horseshoe crab staging, and red knot ESA fat reserve context.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit detailing drone regulations at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, including the USFWS prohibition, ACY Class C airspace overlay, and shorebird staging context, has been approved. This aligns with USFWS 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 Forsythe NWR. The refuge's barrier island and salt marsh habitat sits within Atlantic City's Class C airspace and hosts the world's largest concentration of shorebirds during spring migration. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 86ce1c0a-edc0-4662-b3a6-36d4257401d7 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, New Jersey **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. ### Airspace / Site Context - Atlantic City International (ACY) Class C airspace overlaps the refuge; LAANC authorization required for any flight in the vicinity even outside the refuge boundary - Over 200,000 shorebirds stage at the refuge in May during the horseshoe crab spawn -- one of the Western Hemisphere's greatest wildlife spectacles - Red knot (threatened) and ruddy turnstone depend on horseshoe crab eggs; disturbance during peak feeding reduces pre-migration fat reserves critically ### Key Rules - ACY Class C LAANC required for surrounding flights; 0 ft AGL in some refuge grid squares - USFWS Special Use Permit required for research UAS; applications during May shorebird season are rarely approved - Barnegat Bay boat launches near the refuge do not confer right to launch UAS over refuge waters ### Source - USFWS Forsythe: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/edwin-b-forsythe
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+ ## Drone Rules - Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, New Jersey + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - Atlantic City International (ACY) Class C airspace overlaps the refuge; LAANC authorization required for any flight in the vicinity even outside the refuge boundary + - Over 200,000 shorebirds stage at the refuge in May during the horseshoe crab spawn -- one of the Western Hemisphere's greatest wildlife spectacles + - Red knot (threatened) and ruddy turnstone depend on horseshoe crab eggs; disturbance during peak feeding reduces pre-migration fat reserves critically + + ### Key Rules + - ACY Class C LAANC required for surrounding flights; 0 ft AGL in some refuge grid squares + - USFWS Special Use Permit required for research UAS; applications during May shorebird season are rarely approved + - Barnegat Bay boat launches near the refuge do not confer right to launch UAS over refuge waters + + ### Source + - USFWS Forsythe: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/edwin-b-forsythe +