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Mesa Verde limits drones

Feds are crafting national rules
In the wake of a June directive from the U.S. National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park has banned drones from taking off and landing in the park. The rule applies to unmanned aircraft, including drones, quadcopters and model airplanes.

Mesa Verde National Park has updated its rules to include language prohibiting drones from taking off or landing inside the park.

The new policy restricting drone use follows a June directive from the U.S. National Park Service. National parks across the country are developing similar rules. The rule restricts unmanned aircraft, including drones, quadcopters and model airplanes.

“Mesa Verde National Park will enforce restrictions on the use of drones until the determination is made regarding their use and potential unintended consequences on park resource values, including wilderness, solitude, quiet and direct impacts to sensitive species,” park Superintendent Cliff Spencer said in a news release.

The drone ban is an interim policy that will remain in place until the agency develops a national regulation.

They’re officially banned in Arches and Canyonlands national parks.

Kevin Moore, acting chief ranger for the two parks, says the unmanned aircraft disrupt wildlife and are an intrusion on visitors looking for tranquility. They have seen an increase in use of drones in the last two years.

In June, National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis directed all parks to take steps to prohibit the use of the increasingly popular aircraft that are often used to take photos and videos.

The ban also extends to Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments.

Bandelier National Monument in northern New Mexico also announced Wednesday it is banning the use of drones.

Monument officials cited instances in which wildlife and visitors seeking quiet and solitude were disturbed by buzzing drones. They also pointed to the recent crash of a drone into Yellowstone’s famous Grand Prismatic Spring.

Under the new rule, anyone caught using model airplanes, quadcopters or other types of drones within the monument’s boundaries could face fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail.

Two large national parks, Grand Canyon in Arizona and Zion in Utah, already have changed their rules to ban drones.

The Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to regulate drones amid public demand. Real estate agents, farmers and others want to use drones for commercial purposes. University and government researchers are also using drones in a variety of studies.

The FAA is working on a rule for drone use that the agency expects to release for public comment by the end of the year.

Mesa Verde is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction in Southwest Colorado, with 460,000 visitors in 2013.

cslothower@durangoherald.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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