Inconsiderate behavior in national parks is unfortunately not new, but technological advancements have enabled novel forms of it, as illustrated on the r/VisitIceland subreddit.
In green spaces, general etiquette tends to be universal, sometimes described as the seven principles of outdoor ethics.
Often reinforced by signage, they include: planning ahead, staying on designated trails, taking nothing and leaving nothing, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.
In this instance, an inconsiderate couple disregarded several of those practices.
"Respect the no drones signs," the post's title stated, alongside two photographs of a pair of visitors piloting a drone in the vicinity of a national park in Iceland.
"Don't be like this couple. Flying their drone up and down the water, quite close to people too. There are signs around the place that state no drones," the original poster wrote, contextualizing the images.
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Drones have become increasingly accessible to consumers since the 2010s, and they've played a vital role in monitoring the natural world, particularly hard-to-observe regions and their wildlife.
In the hands of conservationists, scientists, and well-behaved hobbyists, drones have been a boon for preserving nature and gathering information about rare and endangered animals without direct human interference — but they've been bad news for the outdoors, too.
As drones become more common, there have been several incidents in Yellowstone and other national parks in the U.S.; the National Park Service officially prohibited drone use in any federal reserves as of June 2014.
According to the NPS, drones have "crashed in geysers in Yellowstone National Park, attempted to land on the features of Mount Rushmore National Memorial," and "been lost over the edge of the Grand Canyon."
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Definitely 👍 "In some cases, their use has resulted in noise and nuisance complaints from park visitors, park visitor safety concerns, and incidents in which park wildlife were harassed," the NPS added.
As the original poster explained, Iceland posted signs in that area that expressly prohibited drone use, and the disregard shown annoyed one poster.
"I don't think you understand. They are special. The signs are for other people," the user wrote.
"What many dronefluencers tend to 'not think about is' sometimes those signs are up to protect wildlife not to be just a nuisance to tourists," another replied.
"I was in both Iceland and Ireland recently, visiting many natural sites, when this annoying buzzing would ruin the experience — more annoying than the buzz of mosquitoes in my native Wisconsin," a third complained. "I don't get people needing to bring their toys to 'enjoy' nature."
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