In today’s episode, we’re continuing our three-part series on drones in parks. In the second segment, I speak with Evie Kirkwood, Director of St. Joseph County Parks in Indiana about:

• Their drone policy.
• Problems they’ve run into and how they’ve solved them.
• What their thoughts are for the future.
• How they currently use drones for their own needs.

In part one, we looked at local, state and federal policies as well as resources for land managers. In part three, we’ll be looking at opportunities surrounding drones in parks and what may be in store for the future.

• Part 1. Policy, Drone Zones and Resources for Land Managers
• Part 2. How Park Managers Manage Drones
• Part 3. Opportunities and the Future of Drones in Parks

Since part one aired, we’ve received feedback from park professionals on their drone policies. Dan Garvy, MS, CPRP, Director of Parks & Recreation at the Lisle Park District in Illinois, shared their one-page fact sheet on their drones policy that they have available at the front desk of their rec center and on their website. They also train their front desk staff to be knowledgeable about the policy and provide it to the police department as well. Lisle has not seen a lot of drone usage yet, but they decided to stay ahead of the trend, so they are prepared. Stay tuned for part three in our series where we interview Rich Dolesh, NRPA’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. He and I chat about trends relating to drones in parks and what may be in store for the future.