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Yellowstone cracking down use of aerial camera drones

A still image from a video posted to YouTube shows Old Faithful erupting as seen from a camera drone in 2013, before Yellowstone National Park and the National Park Service banned unmanned aerial vehicles.

Just weeks after a visitor crashed a drone into Yellowstone National Park's largest hot spring, park officials have filed criminal charges against the alleged pilot, and are stepping up their efforts to publicize and enforce a ban on unmanned aerial vehicles in the park. Theodorus Van Vliet of the Netherlands has been charged in connection with an Aug. 2 incident in which authorities say he crashed his unmanned aircraft into Grand Prismatic Spring. The drone sank into the popular hot spring and has not been found. Van Vliet is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and faces up to $5,000 in fines and/or six months in jail if found guilty. Continue Reading →

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Pre-ban drone videos offer aerial views of Yellowstone, Grand Teton

Though it is against Yellowstone National Park regulations to shoot videos using a drone, their use was not specifically prohibited until this summer. A handful of videos posted to YouTube offer a glimpse of why camera drones are so popular with professional photographers and casual visitors. Continue Reading →

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Yellowstone rangers conducting commercial vehicle inspections

Yellowstone National Park rangers and state and federal transportation officials will conduct safety evaluations of commercial vehicles and operators traveling in the park this summer. Park officials say the inspections are designed to ensure the safe operation and mechanical soundness of commercial buses and trucks on Yellowstone’s roadways. Continue Reading →

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