A tourist accused of buzzing an osprey nest with a drone in Yellowstone National Park could face stiff penalties, including six months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Flying drones is illegal in Yellowstone, as is harassing wildlife.
A California resident who frequently visits the park told Cowboy State Daily that he caught the drone pilot in the act last Thursday and reported his antics to the National Park Service (NPS).
The Park Service confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that the tourist was found and ticketed.
Vince Botkin said he had a brief confrontation with the drone pilot, a man who has not yet been publicly identified, as well as a woman who might have been the man’s wife or a relative.
He also said that park rangers visited his campsite that evening, thanking Botkin for reporting the incident and to let him know they’d caught the suspect that day.
NPS spokeswoman Linda Veress in an email message to Cowboy State Daily confirmed that a citation has been issued.
“We can confirm that an individual was cited in Lamar Valley the evening of June 5 for flying a drone in the vicinity of an osprey nest. We do not have a name and hometown to