Beach safety is a very high priority this summer, with CNN explaining that four people have already drowned this year.
NYPD drones have found two of these bodies, who disappeared off a beach adjacent to Rockaway. Additionally, drones belonging to the fire department displayed footage of lifeguards helping swimmers struggling in a rip tide.
No doubt, drones, when used correctly, can be helpful.
Enter the idea of NYC Beaches using drones to protect visitors: flying them above the oceans to keep an eye out for any sharks or struggling swimmers, equipped with inflatable life rafts for the latter.
The drones have proven beneficial, spotting a shark this past Thursday.
While a great idea to keep beachgoers safe, drones are causing problems for other species.
Since the drones took to the sky in May, CNN says, shorebirds, especially American oystercatchers, have continuously attacked the devices. In response, the police department and city agencies have had to change their drones’ flight plans.
According to Veronica Welsh, a wildlife coordinator at the Parks Department, the birds are “very annoyed by the drones…they think they’re defending their chicks from a predator”.
Professor of wildlife biology David Bird believes that the birds could eventually become used to the devices. Sadly, another outcome is possible: the birds, distressed by the drones, might leave the beach, abandoning their eggs. Such occurrences have already occurred in San Diego.
On the topic, Birch says “We don’t know a lot about what sort of distance is required to protect the birds, but we do know there are birds on this beach that are highly endangered. If they abandon their nests…that would be a disaster”.
N.Y.C.’s Emergency Management Department warned the police and fire department about how close the drones were to the nesting area of oystercatchers. In response, the departments agreed to move the launching area for the drones.
Thankfully, the parties involved aren’t ready to start an all-out “drones or no drones” war. N.Y.C.’s. Rather, they communicated and compromised to reach an agreement that satisfied everyone.
Emergency Management Department warned the police and fire department about how close the drones were to the nesting area of oystercatchers. In response, the departments agreed to move the launching area for the drones. New York cares for its citizens and wildlife, finding ways to make sure the former are safe in ways that won’t affect the latter.
