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Drone Rules for Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Glenwood, Washington (WA)
• United States
100 Wildlife Refuge Rd, Glenwood, WA 98619, USA
Lat: 45.9657 • Lng: -121.341
Rules Edit History: Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge
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Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 30, 2026 8:30 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Conboy Lake NWR with one-of-two western WA sandhill crane nesting sites, Yakama Nation boundary, and population-level disturbance context.
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Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit detailing the drone prohibition at Conboy Lake 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 status as one of only two western Washington locations where greater sandhill cranes have historically nested 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 Conboy Lake NWR. The refuge in the Yakima Valley foothills is one of only two western Washington locations where greater sandhill cranes have historically nested. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 47200da2-df8f-441a-be82-5e202c2bc4cd |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Conboy Lake NWR, Washington **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. ### Airspace / Site Context - 5,814-acre meadow-wetland complex at the base of Mount Adams; Gifford Pinchot National Forest (USFS) and Yakama Nation Reservation border the refuge - Greater sandhill crane nesting pair (one of very few nesting records in western Washington); nesting territory disturbance has direct population-level impact - The Dalles (DLS) Class D is ~25 NM south; Portland (PDX) Class B outer ring is ~50 NM south ### Key Rules - Yakama Nation Reservation borders the refuge; tribal government approval required for any drone operation over reservation land - Crane nesting season (April-July): 0.5-mile exclusion zone around occupied territories; USFWS crane coordinator must be notified - USFWS Special Use Permit required; research permits go to USFWS Pacific Region ### Source - USFWS Conboy Lake: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/conboy-lake
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+ ## Drone Rules - Conboy Lake NWR, Washington + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - 5,814-acre meadow-wetland complex at the base of Mount Adams; Gifford Pinchot National Forest (USFS) and Yakama Nation Reservation border the refuge + - Greater sandhill crane nesting pair (one of very few nesting records in western Washington); nesting territory disturbance has direct population-level impact + - The Dalles (DLS) Class D is ~25 NM south; Portland (PDX) Class B outer ring is ~50 NM south + + ### Key Rules + - Yakama Nation Reservation borders the refuge; tribal government approval required for any drone operation over reservation land + - Crane nesting season (April-July): 0.5-mile exclusion zone around occupied territories; USFWS crane coordinator must be notified + - USFWS Special Use Permit required; research permits go to USFWS Pacific Region + + ### Source + - USFWS Conboy Lake: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/conboy-lake +