Yellowstone endures third drone violation in less than two months

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Park and wildlife officials in Wyoming are experiencing déjà vu after a third individual was cited for flying an unmanned areal surveillance device in less than two months.

The latest offender was cited Aug. 19 for flying his personal drone in the area around the Midway Geyser Basin according to Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash. Unlike past offenders, the latest drone operator managed to avoid harming the national park.

Since National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis banned the use of unmanned areal devices across the park system's 84 million protected acres in June, three individuals have been cited for flying drones in Yellowstone alone, with a fourth citation in Grand Teton National Park.

The first drone citation in Yellowstone came in July when a vacationer crashed an unmanned craft into Yellowstone Lake.

The second, more notable incident, came when Theodorus Van Vliet of the Netherlands crashed his drone in the iconic Grand Prismatic Spring, where it remains to this day.

"There are a couple of places where we've seen things on the bottom of the spring that might be this unit, but we still haven't confirmed a location," Nash told local reporters.

"It begs the question. Even if we can locate it, is it feasible to remove it?"