K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
Professionals in the drone business are asking the U.S. Forest Service to reconsider proposed limits on use of the devices in places such as on roads, trails and at trail summits in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests.
The Forest Service recently released a draft management plan for the jointly managed forests that covers issues such as logging, grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. It includes language that would prohibit use of unmanned aircraft in places such as developed campgrounds, parking lots, day-use areas and boat launches, and on forest-wide roads and trails and at trail summits. Some other areas also would be covered in the prohibition, and drone use already is prohibited in areas such as designated wilderness.
The prohibition would allow for exceptions in some circumstances via a special use permit.
“I’m trying to understand what problem you’re trying to solve with this,” Kerry Garrison, with Multicopter Warehouse, a Front Range drone company, said when the Forest Service recently held a webinar on the recreation aspects of its draft plan.
Samantha Staley, GMUG’s forest planner, told Garrison the proposal would limit drone use in high-use parts of the forest. But Garrison said existing federal regulations already limit flying drones over people and moving vehicles. He said it’s one thing for the Forest Service to require compliance with Federal Aviation Administration drone rules, but he questions restricting use on roads, trails and summits.
“Often there’s nobody there” when he flies drones in such locations, he said.
Staley said the Forest Service wants public comments on the issue as it moves toward finalizing a plan, and suggested meeting with drone advocates. She said the agency’s recreation planning team is seeing increasing use of drones, and people are flying drones in parking lots and over people’s heads.
Continue reading: https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/drone-users-abuzz-over-possible-gmug-restrictions/article_895be6f2-0779-11ec-8663-27a8ef907b67.html
The Forest Service recently released a draft management plan for the jointly managed forests that covers issues such as logging, grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. It includes language that would prohibit use of unmanned aircraft in places such as developed campgrounds, parking lots, day-use areas and boat launches, and on forest-wide roads and trails and at trail summits. Some other areas also would be covered in the prohibition, and drone use already is prohibited in areas such as designated wilderness.
The prohibition would allow for exceptions in some circumstances via a special use permit.
“I’m trying to understand what problem you’re trying to solve with this,” Kerry Garrison, with Multicopter Warehouse, a Front Range drone company, said when the Forest Service recently held a webinar on the recreation aspects of its draft plan.
Samantha Staley, GMUG’s forest planner, told Garrison the proposal would limit drone use in high-use parts of the forest. But Garrison said existing federal regulations already limit flying drones over people and moving vehicles. He said it’s one thing for the Forest Service to require compliance with Federal Aviation Administration drone rules, but he questions restricting use on roads, trails and summits.
“Often there’s nobody there” when he flies drones in such locations, he said.
Staley said the Forest Service wants public comments on the issue as it moves toward finalizing a plan, and suggested meeting with drone advocates. She said the agency’s recreation planning team is seeing increasing use of drones, and people are flying drones in parking lots and over people’s heads.
Continue reading: https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/drone-users-abuzz-over-possible-gmug-restrictions/article_895be6f2-0779-11ec-8663-27a8ef907b67.html
