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Drone Rules for Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
Mayville, Wisconsin (WI)
• United States
W4279 Headquarters Rd, Mayville, WI 53050, USA
Lat: 43.5703 • Lng: -88.6087
Rules Edit History: Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
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May 30, 2026 7:34 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Horicon NWR with 500,000-Canada-goose October staging, mid-air collision risk, and WI DNR co-prohibition context.
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Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit detailing drone regulations at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, including the USFWS prohibition, WI DNR co-prohibition, and the 500,000-Canada-goose October staging context, has been approved. This aligns with USFWS and WI DNR regulations prohibiting drone operations within the refuge and state wildlife area. 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 Horicon NWR. The 21,000-acre cattail marsh is one of the most important inland waterfowl staging areas in North America, hosting up to 500,000 Canada geese each October. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 975406b3-71f4-41b9-8d3c-f6a151ae1816 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Horicon NWR, Wisconsin **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210; adjacent Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area (WI DNR) also prohibits UAS. ### Airspace / Site Context - 500,000 Canada geese staging in October creates extreme mid-air collision risk for small UAS; goose flocks frequently move at 150-200 ft AGL - Dodge County Airport (UNU) Class G; Milwaukee Mitchell International (MKE) Class C is ~55 NM south - The combined 33,000-acre refuge-state wildlife area complex is surrounded by active agricultural fields that are not restricted ### Key Rules - October Canada goose staging: USFWS and WI DNR actively coordinate to intercept drone operators at the main parking areas - Launching from the Wisconsin DNR portion still violates state rules; USFWS boundary begins immediately east of the state area - USFWS Special Use Permit required for research; goose season applications require US Fish & Wildlife Service-Midwest Regional Office approval ### Source - USFWS Horicon: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/horicon
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+ ## Drone Rules - Horicon NWR, Wisconsin + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210; adjacent Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area (WI DNR) also prohibits UAS. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - 500,000 Canada geese staging in October creates extreme mid-air collision risk for small UAS; goose flocks frequently move at 150-200 ft AGL + - Dodge County Airport (UNU) Class G; Milwaukee Mitchell International (MKE) Class C is ~55 NM south + - The combined 33,000-acre refuge-state wildlife area complex is surrounded by active agricultural fields that are not restricted + + ### Key Rules + - October Canada goose staging: USFWS and WI DNR actively coordinate to intercept drone operators at the main parking areas + - Launching from the Wisconsin DNR portion still violates state rules; USFWS boundary begins immediately east of the state area + - USFWS Special Use Permit required for research; goose season applications require US Fish & Wildlife Service-Midwest Regional Office approval + + ### Source + - USFWS Horicon: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/horicon +