National park rangers to tourists: Leave your drones at home

The bald eagle, the yellow warbler and the peregrine falcon have been joined in the skies above Yosemite National Park by a noisy newcomer: the drone.

Spokesman Scott Gediman issued a statement Friday reminding visitors that federal regulations actually ban the unmanned aircraft, yet that hasn’t stopped drone sightings from becoming a nearly daily occurrence in one of the nation’s most venerated national parks.

In the last few years, Gediman says, rangers have noticed more of the devices in the park — buzzing over waterfalls or above meadows — as guests use them to capture otherwise impossible-to-get photographs of the breathtaking landscape.

As rangers gear up for an increase in visitors during the summer, Gediman says he hopes Friday’s announcement — along with similar advisories on Facebook and Twitter — will encourage people to leave their drones at home.