December 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 22

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Drones in Parks: It's All About Perspective
By Courtney Wootton, Michael J. Bradley and Ray Neal

U

nmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are a
recent phenomenon that has become popular in the past few
years. They are remotely piloted aircrafts that first started being used by the military when manned flights were considered
too dangerous. Chronologically, drones first appeared in military operations starting in 2000, but gained military and civilian popularity from 2009
to 2016. However, because drone popularity has skyrocketed, local regulations regarding the use of drones for recreation have not kept up. The
lack of regulations has resulted in issues regarding safety, privacy concerns,
encroachment on private property and others, and thereby warranting discussion regarding development of policy and regulations.
The combined factors of impressive technology and offering the
thrill of unmanned flight in one
easy-to-operate package have made
drones incredibly popular. They offer
fulfillment of dreams of all ages, kids
and adults alike, including scientific
fantasies about flying cars and fancy
new technology to launch society
into the future. The idea of a future

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Parks & Recreation

where packages and pizzas are delivered to doorsteps or in parks by
drones is now a reality. Excitement
abounds. People take their drones to
public spaces, from national parks
and wilderness areas to local public
parks down the block.
Arguments against drones focus
on security and privacy. People are
afraid that drones could be used to

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observe unsuspecting people or be
used in new cyberattacks. Some are
paranoid that it is another way for
" Big Brother " to further infringe
on civilian rights and liberties.
Some are simply concerned about
flyovers of their property. To fly
drones safely, many operators have
turned to parks as the best open
space to fly their drones.
An undeniable appeal of drone
flying is the ability to take photos
from perspectives that have never
been done before except by professional photographers in a plane or
helicopter. Fueling the excitement
is posting such pictures on social
media and getting the most " likes "
on Facebook. The temptation of
having drones for the perfect picture is high. People like to use
their drones to get aerial shots of
landscapes, get up closer than normal to wildlife and to try to re-create photos in the likes of National
Geographic, all of which can cause
problems if done irresponsibly.
There are positive aspects to having drones in parks for their use
in helping to manage parks and
facilities. Drones can be used in
conservation efforts, public safety
and natural resource management.
They can be used in search-andrescue operations, wildlife monitoring, monitoring endangered areas, creating more extensive maps
and managing invasive species.
They truly can be a resource for assisting in research focusing on environmental threats and expanding
scientific knowledge.
December 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2018 - Parks & Recreation
