National Park Drone Violations Expected to Surge Following Major Staff Cuts

The U.S. National Park Service is terminating approximately 1,000 workers while the U.S. Forest Service is firing about 3,400 recent hires, according to Reuters. These cuts, targeting employees in their probationary period, represent about 5% of the National Park Service workforce. The staff reductions together with DJI’s recent removal of geofencing restrictions, create new vulnerabilities in drone regulation enforcement across America’s protected lands.

The staffing reductions come as park visitation continues to climb. The National Parks Conservation Association reports that the national park system saw 325 million visits in 2023 alone – an increase of 13 million from 2022.

“Allowing parks to hire seasonal staff is essential, but staffing cuts of this magnitude will have devastating consequences for parks and communities,” said National Parks Conservation Association president Theresa Pierno in a statement.

Enforcement Challenges

The cuts primarily affect non-law enforcement personnel, including interpretive rangers and administrative staff who handle visitor Education and policy implementation. While Firefighters and law enforcement officers are exempt from the layoffs, the reduced overall staffing levels create significant gaps in monitoring and enforcement capabilities.

The NPCA’s senior vice-president of government affairs, Kristen Brengel, warns that visitors expecting a once-in-a-lifetime experience could now face “overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms and fewer rangers to provide guidance.”

The National Park Service implemented a system-wide ban on drone operations in 2014 following multiple incidents, including drone crashes near visitors at Mount Rushmore and harassment of Wildlife in Zion National Park. However, effective enforcement has historically relied on adequate staffing levels for monitoring and education.

Regulatory Framework

The current regulatory structure presents inherent challenges:

The NPS controls ground operations within park boundaries
The Federal Aviation Administration maintains authority over airspace
Drone operators can technically launch from outside park boundaries while flying over park land
Detection and enforcement require coordination between multiple agencies

While the NPS has secured exemptions to hire 5,000 seasonal workers for spring and summer 2025, these positions typically focus on essential visitor services rather than regulatory enforcement. The January 2025 federal grant freeze has further complicated resource allocation, though this order was rescinded after two days for reevaluation.

Looking Ahead

The combination of reduced oversight, increasing visitor numbers, and limited seasonal staffing suggests parks will face growing challenges in maintaining drone restrictions while balancing other critical responsibilities. Without additional resources or technological solutions, unauthorized drone operations are likely to increase throughout 2025.

These challenges emerge as national parks already struggle with basic operational duties. As the NPCA notes, current staffing levels are not keeping pace with increasing demands on the national park system, creating vulnerabilities across multiple areas of park management and enforcement.

The staffing cuts coincide with DJI’s January 2025 overhaul of its geofencing system, which transitions previous “No-Fly Zones” to “Enhanced Warning Zones” aligned with FAA data. While this change maintains safety awareness, it shifts more responsibility to individual drone operators to verify and comply with airspace restrictions. Combined with reduced ranger presence and increasing visitor numbers, this regulatory restructuring creates additional pressure on already strained park enforcement capabilities.

The convergence of staffing cuts, record visitation, and evolving drone security measures suggests parks face unprecedented challenges in maintaining airspace restrictions throughout 2025.