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Drone Rules for Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Princeton, Oregon (OR) • United States
Princeton, OR 97721, USA
Lat: 43.3125 • Lng: -118.875

Rules Edit History: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

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May 30, 2026 8:55 AM Approved • Added USFWS drone prohibition for Malheur NWR with Harney Basin context, Sandhill Crane nesting areas, and Snowy Plover ESA protection.
Author: be5f5cb8-9839-4827-98b3-c519aa546acc (1118)
Moderation feedback
Approved Confidence: 0.75
Your proposed edit detailing the drone prohibition at Malheur 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 location in Oregon's Harney Basin and its significance as a critical habitat for various bird 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
Summary USFWS prohibits drones on Malheur NWR. The 187,000-acre high-desert marsh is one of the most important shorebird and waterfowl staging areas in the Pacific Flyway and a major sandhill crane nesting site. Malheur NWR prohibits all UAS operations under USFWS Director's Order 210. The remote high-desert refuge in Oregon's Harney Basin is one of the most important bird areas in the American West, hosting 320+ species.
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Before
## Drone Rules - Malheur NWR, Oregon

**Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210.

### Airspace / Site Context
- Up to 400 bird species recorded; greater sandhill crane pairs require 500-ft minimum disturbance distance during nesting (April-July)
- Steens Mountain and the Blitzen Valley create strong orographic updrafts that push small UAS off course rapidly
- Burns Municipal (BNO) Class G; no controlled airspace within the refuge


### Key Rules
- The refuge headquarters at Frenchglen is 60 miles from Burns -- no cell service; download offline B4UFLY before leaving town
- Snowy plover (threatened) and long-billed curlew nest on the dry lake beds in the southern refuge
- USFWS Special Use Permit required; scientific research applications go to USFWS Oregon State Office in Portland


### Source
- USFWS Malheur: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
After
## Drone Rules - Malheur NWR

**All drone operations are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210 (2015) without a Special Use Permit.

### Airspace / Site Context
- Burns Municipal Airport (KBNO) uncontrolled field lies ~30 miles NW
- Refuge spans 187,757 acres in the remote Great Basin high desert
- Elevation 4,090 ft MSL; terrain includes Malheur Lake, Harney Lake, and Blitzen Valley
- Critically important for Greater Sandhill Crane and Trumpeter Swan nesting

### Key Rules
- No UAS without USFWS Special Use Permit
- Sandhill Crane nesting areas closed to all disturbance March-August
- Snowy Plover (ESA threatened) nests on exposed mudflats
- FAA TFRs may be issued during wildfire season (June-September)

### Source
- USFWS: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
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  ### Airspace / Site Context
+ - Critically important for Greater Sandhill Crane and Trumpeter Swan nesting
  
  ### Key Rules
+ - FAA TFRs may be issued during wildfire season (June-September)
  
  ### Source
May 30, 2026 7:39 AM Approved • Added USFWS drone prohibition for Malheur NWR with sandhill crane 500-ft buffer, Steens Mountain orographic updraft, and snowy plover ESA context.
Author: be5f5cb8-9839-4827-98b3-c519aa546acc (1118)
Moderation feedback
Approved Confidence: 0.75
Your proposed edit detailing the drone prohibition at Malheur 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.
Sources
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
Field Before After
Summary Drones are prohibited at Malheur NWR per USFWS regulations. High desert wetland and shorebird staging are protected. USFWS prohibits drones on Malheur NWR. The 187,000-acre high-desert marsh is one of the most important shorebird and waterfowl staging areas in the Pacific Flyway and a major sandhill crane nesting site.
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Before
## Drone Rules - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.






### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- One of the most important shorebird and waterbird staging areas in the interior Pacific Northwest

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
After
## Drone Rules - Malheur NWR, Oregon

**Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210.

### Airspace / Site Context
- Up to 400 bird species recorded; greater sandhill crane pairs require 500-ft minimum disturbance distance during nesting (April-July)
- Steens Mountain and the Blitzen Valley create strong orographic updrafts that push small UAS off course rapidly
- Burns Municipal (BNO) Class G; no controlled airspace within the refuge

### Key Rules
- The refuge headquarters at Frenchglen is 60 miles from Burns -- no cell service; download offline B4UFLY before leaving town
- Snowy plover (threatened) and long-billed curlew nest on the dry lake beds in the southern refuge
- USFWS Special Use Permit required; scientific research applications go to USFWS Oregon State Office in Portland

### Source
- USFWS Malheur: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
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+ ### Airspace / Site Context
+ - Up to 400 bird species recorded; greater sandhill crane pairs require 500-ft minimum disturbance distance during nesting (April-July)
+ - Steens Mountain and the Blitzen Valley create strong orographic updrafts that push small UAS off course rapidly
+ - Burns Municipal (BNO) Class G; no controlled airspace within the refuge
+ 
  ### Key Rules
  
  ### Source
May 29, 2026 5:47 AM Approved • Added USFWS drone ban for Malheur NWR with Pacific Northwest shorebird staging context.
Author: be5f5cb8-9839-4827-98b3-c519aa546acc (1118)
Moderation feedback
NeedsHumanReview Confidence: 0.70
The outline center is about 14.85 km from the selected place. A moderator should confirm the selected place and outline match.
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Field Before After
Flight status Unknown NoFly
Summary — Drones are prohibited at Malheur NWR per USFWS regulations. High desert wetland and shorebird staging are protected.
Mapped shapes — 00982fe4-fdc9-4bdb-8759-c6ce0dcd355b
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

**Drone use is prohibited** at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
- Research use requires a Special Use Permit
- One of the most important shorebird and waterbird staging areas in the interior Pacific Northwest

### Source
- FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
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+ ## Drone Rules - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
+ 
+ **Drone use is prohibited** at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
+ 
+ ### Key Rules
+ - No recreational drone flights within refuge boundaries
+ - Research use requires a Special Use Permit
+ - One of the most important shorebird and waterbird staging areas in the interior Pacific Northwest
+ 
+ ### Source
+ - FWS Refuge Regulations: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/malheur
+