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Drone Rules for Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Necedah, Wisconsin (WI)
• United States
N11385 Headquarters Rd, Necedah, WI 54646, USA
Lat: 44.0554 • Lng: -90.1714
Rules Edit History: Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
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Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 30, 2026 7:35 AM
Approved
• Added USFWS drone prohibition for Necedah NWR with whooping crane reintroduction site, Karner blue butterfly ESA habitat, and crane chick abandonment risk context.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit detailing drone regulations at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, including the USFWS prohibition, whooping crane reintroduction, and Karner blue butterfly habitat 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 Necedah NWR. The refuge is the release site for the Eastern Migratory whooping crane reintroduction population and habitat for the Karner blue butterfly (endangered). |
| Mapped shapes | — | d15252c4-f407-432b-ac41-08933bd793e9 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - Necedah NWR, Wisconsin **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210 and ESA protections for whooping crane and Karner blue butterfly. ### Airspace / Site Context - Whooping crane chicks have been reared at Necedah since 2001; drone noise during chick-rearing (May-September) is a documented cause of pair abandonment - Karner blue butterfly (ESA endangered) depends on lupine patches managed on the refuge; ground vibration from nearby landings must be avoided - La Crosse Regional (LSE) Class D is ~60 NM west; Madison Dane County (MSN) Class C is ~75 NM east ### Key Rules - Whooping crane release and monitoring flights require USFWS-Washington level approval for any co-use of the airspace - Sandhill cranes (parent species for ultralight-led migration) also nest here; USFWS uses ultralight aircraft with strict protocols separate from recreation - USFWS Special Use Permit required; applications involving the crane recovery area require whooping crane recovery coordinator sign-off ### Source - USFWS Necedah: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/necedah
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+ ## Drone Rules - Necedah NWR, Wisconsin + + **Drones are prohibited** under USFWS Director's Order 210 and ESA protections for whooping crane and Karner blue butterfly. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - Whooping crane chicks have been reared at Necedah since 2001; drone noise during chick-rearing (May-September) is a documented cause of pair abandonment + - Karner blue butterfly (ESA endangered) depends on lupine patches managed on the refuge; ground vibration from nearby landings must be avoided + - La Crosse Regional (LSE) Class D is ~60 NM west; Madison Dane County (MSN) Class C is ~75 NM east + + ### Key Rules + - Whooping crane release and monitoring flights require USFWS-Washington level approval for any co-use of the airspace + - Sandhill cranes (parent species for ultralight-led migration) also nest here; USFWS uses ultralight aircraft with strict protocols separate from recreation + - USFWS Special Use Permit required; applications involving the crane recovery area require whooping crane recovery coordinator sign-off + + ### Source + - USFWS Necedah: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/necedah +