Writer Says NPS Ban 'Solves A Problem That Doesn't Exist' In The State

The National Park Service late last week banned the use of UAVs in all national parks and other facilities under its jurisdiction, citing noise, safety, and other concerns.

In Alaska, at least one editorialist says the total, blanket ban solves a problem that "doesn't exist" in the 49th state.

Writing in the Alaska Dispatch, Craig Medred pointed out that Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, for instance, had a total of 11 visitors last June, and 134 visitors all year. Only 12 visited in 2012.

None of them were flying a UAV.

Even in their best years, Alaska's most famous national parks draw in a year what a park like Yosemite National Park will see in a day.

Medred wrote that the average UAV makes about as much noise as a household hair dryer. If noise is an issue, he says, then the Park Service should ban loud camp stoves that, according to some users, "sound like a jet engine once it is running."

He also says that if the Park Service if concerned about UAVs harassing wildlife, the state of Alaska already has strict laws in place to deal with that problem.

Medred says that a UAV ban in a place like Yosemite, which sees millions of visitors a year, might make sense. But, he said, with Alaska named as one of the six states where UAVs are being tested, the Park Service should be promoting their use, rather than creating unnecessary blanket rules.

(Image from file)

FMI: Full Editorial