Drones Ruin the Nature Experience

[ppine]

People may decide that bringing a drone with them on a day hike or overnight trip is a good idea so that they can film the country they are hiking in from a bird's eye view. 

There is a lot of wildlife in the West at every elevation.  They can be potentially disturbed by the intrusion of drones.

[branchville]

1 hour ago, HikerBox said:

You'll find drones where you find people.  If there are suddenly lots of drones and people there were previously lots of people (and no drones).  I have a hard time imagining how drones will allow more people to delve deeper into the backcountry and ruin remote wildlife filled peaks.

Also how many peaks do you reach that are filled with wildlife? Aside from birds it's a rarity for me, not sure what kind of fantasy land you're hiking in.

I dont know what you mean and dont understand your point. Even one drone ruins an anotherwise tranquil nature experience. If you are looking at a lake or bird watching, one drone buzzing, video recording your every move to put on youtube the next day completely ruins the experience.  

55 minutes ago, ppine said:

People may decide that bringing a drone with them on a day hike or overnight trip is a good idea so that they can film the country they are hiking in from a bird's eye view. 

There is a lot of wildlife in the West at every elevation.  They can be potentially disturbed by the intrusion of drones.

Yes Im not sure what some people dont understand about this....until it starts happening to them. 

[HikerBox]

This just sounds like another thing to worry about that's completely blown out of proportion.  You'll probably get more anxious from anticipating it than the times it does happen.

If/when it does happen to me I'll speak with the owner of the drone and politely and respectfully let them know that their behavior is intrusive and rude - similar to how I would handle someone camping nearby with loud music playing.  

I seriously doubt I'll be communing with an elk on the verge of a transcendental breakthrough at the time.

Edited April 15, 2016 by HikerBox

[branchville]

25 minutes ago, HikerBox said:

This just sounds like another thing to worry about that's completely blown out of proportion.  You'll probably get more anxious from anticipating it than the times it does happen.

If/when it does happen to me I'll speak with the owner of the drone and politely and respectfully let them know that their behavior is intrusive and rude - similar to how I would handle someone camping nearby with loud music playing.  

I seriously doubt I'll be communing with an elk on the verge of a transcendental breakthrough at the time.

I believe the time to worry is now, while perhaps something can still be done. It indeed did happen to me. It was at a scenic outlook towards sunset when the drone appeared and ruined the experience. I was not the only one to complain. It turns out it was already illegal to fly there but the owner ignored the law. 

Being that drones are a new technology, we have yet to experience the full impact of these buzzing razor-bladed youtube cameras of the sky.  I know animals are already being significantly impacted by them. 

32 minutes ago, HikerBox said:

This just sounds like another thing to worry about that's completely blown out of proportion.  You'll probably get more anxious from anticipating it than the times it does happen.

If/when it does happen to me I'll speak with the owner of the drone and politely and respectfully let them know that their behavior is intrusive and rude - similar to how I would handle someone camping nearby with loud music playing.  

I seriously doubt I'll be communing with an elk on the verge of a transcendental breakthrough at the time.

Here is a link to someone else who was similarly negatively impacted by drones while in a scenic area. 

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/rant-about-noisy-drones-piercing-our-peace-and-quiet/

[HikerBox]

We have the capacity to influence our internal reactions to things we can't control.  You say your experience at the pull off to watch the sunset was ruined by the drone, yet you were probably already ignoring traffic noise from the adjacent road.  Harping on the drone and obsessing over how it impacted you experiencing the sunset is your chosen reaction just as much as ignoring traffic noise to enjoy the sunset prior to the drones arrival was.  Worrying about the youtube video that you've already stated no one will watch is also silly.  

Clearly banning drones from operating in an area doesn't work and most land management agencies don't have the authority or ability to enforce GPS based limits on drone flying, maybe the FAA does so you could always write to them and express your concerns.  

[branchville]

3 hours ago, HikerBox said:

We have the capacity to influence our internal reactions to things we can't control.  You say your experience at the pull off to watch the sunset was ruined by the drone, yet you were probably already ignoring traffic noise from the adjacent road.  Harping on the drone and obsessing over how it impacted you experiencing the sunset is your chosen reaction just as much as ignoring traffic noise to enjoy the sunset prior to the drones arrival was.  Worrying about the youtube video that you've already stated no one will watch is also silly.  

Clearly banning drones from operating in an area doesn't work and most land management agencies don't have the authority or ability to enforce GPS based limits on drone flying, maybe the FAA does so you could always write to them and express your concerns.  

With all due respect I once again completely disagree with this. Drones are unique in their disturbance by the fact that they wrap all the pollution into one mainstream device. It would be akin to blasting a boombox with rap music in the parks, which is not allowed. 

Clearly banning does work. Educating the public how it is illegal to fly drones in such nature areas is effective and parks should post more signs making sure people understand this.

[ppine]

It will be easy to enforce rules against drones in the backcountry, because some people will carry shotguns.

[lonerock]

I guess drones could be similar to the use of cell phones, radios , mp3 players or any other electronic device that people might take into the backcountry.  Any of these devices has the potential to ruin an outdoor experience for others and hopefully those who frequent the backcountry will have respect for others who share that space. Drones could be very intrusive and are best left at home. As noted, it's not lilkely to be an issue in more remote places but it shouldn't have to be an issue anywhere. Respect nature and those who come to visit it and avoid issues like this. Simple as that !

[branchville]

On 4/16/2016 at 10:37 AM, ppine said:

It will be easy to enforce rules against drones in the backcountry, because some people will carry shotguns.

Ha yes good point.

15 hours ago, lonerock said:

I guess drones could be similar to the use of cell phones, radios , mp3 players or any other electronic device that people might take into the backcountry.  Any of these devices has the potential to ruin an outdoor experience for others and hopefully those who frequent the backcountry will have respect for others who share that space. Drones could be very intrusive and are best left at home. As noted, it's not lilkely to be an issue in more remote places but it shouldn't have to be an issue anywhere. Respect nature and those who come to visit it and avoid issues like this. Simple as that !

Drones are unique because they can fly anywhere in seconds, hover directly over you, produce noise pollution,  will cause birds to fly away, and video record you which will probably end up on youtube for the world to see the next day. 

True: there are boomboxes, model airplanes, and video cameras: but this is a cheap, popular, mainstream device with all those polluters rolled into one.

Its only a matter of time before you will have to think twice about urinating in the woods out of fear it might be there for the world to see the next day. 

Once the novelty of aerial shots wears off for drones, young adults and teens will mainly use it for racing in the air, doing stunts, "playing" with birds and animals and spying on attractive girls. You can already see this start to happen more and more on youtube. 

Edited April 17, 2016 by branchville

[PaulMags]

UAVs are currently banned in National Park units. The ban is difficult to enforce however.

https://www.hcn.org/articles/illegal-flights-persist-despite-national-park-drone-ban