Wilderness/Park Drone Footage

[schmalz]

I'm currently watching a PCT video that has some pretty blatant drone footage from the Sierra. It's on youtube and the person who made the video is trying to spread it around on social media. I don't want to get everyone to get their pitchforks out for this one specific person, but I'm worried that this type of footage and social media is going to create a generation of people who think that going into the high sierra and capturing drone footage is completely normal and acceptable.

Since this person is posting evidence of their crimes, does anyone know who we could contact in the parks or forest service that might be able to bring legal action against these types of people? I would love to be able to report this activity in some way to try to curb it spreading in the future.

[balzaccom]

https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/contactus.htm

Should work

[austex]

Dollars to donuts I bet the person does not have the appropriate license/permit for it. The FAA could get into their face. Not knowing the exact footage in question; they were probably flying it in a designated no fly zone outlined and acknowledged with agreement with the person by simply purchasing it. It come in the instructions.
https://hotline.faa.gov/

[dave54]

Was the video taken inside a National Park or designated Wilderness?

Operating a drone on multiple use NF land is legal, subject to non-commercial use and FAA regs.

[longri]

In SEKI for sure.

[schmalz]

Was the video taken inside a National Park or designated Wilderness?

Operating a drone on multiple use NF land is legal, subject to non-commercial use and FAA regs.

There are some Sierra shots that are easily placeable in the parks, including one of Muir Pass with the hut. I'm also fairly sure that the pct is either in wilderness or national parks for the entirety of the Sierra from kennedy meadows to tahoe.

[wildhiker]

Pretty much all the High Sierra between Sonora Pass and Olancha Pass is designated wilderness under the provisions of the Wilderness Act,whether the land is in National Forest or National Park. The Wilderness Act itself does not prohibit overflights by aircraft. However, it does explicitly prohibit the landing of aircraft. Seems to me, to operate a drone to get footage of the wilderness, that you need to land it within the wilderness to recover it, unless you are just operating along the boundary. Muir Pass, for example, is deep within the wilderness. No way you are operating a drone there without landing it in the wilderness. Other types of violations of the Wilderness Act have been prosecuted in court and led to big fines. The Forest Service and Park Service may also have additional regulations related to the actual flying of drones.
-Phil

[AlmostThere]

The drone has a motor, so it is illegal to operate in designated wilderness. And it is dangerous to operate anywhere there are operations that include deployment of helicopters, which crisscross the range daily on SAR efforts.

[John Harper]

Considering how small these drones are becoming, I would expect them to proliferate along major trails. Just like the "selfie" epidemic.

John

[longri]

They are already not that uncommon a sight in places where they are illegal. It will be difficult to enforce the rules if people decide it's their right to fly them where they want.

But posting your own crime online should make it somewhat easier. I wonder if youtube and other sites would respond to requests to take the video down since it portrays illegal activity?