Category: Humanity

Ever since I found out over a year ago that drones have been forbidden from New Hampshire state parks, I’ve made it a personal mission to find a way to get drones reinstated. If I can fly a drone in Tuckerman’s Ravine or any town park in New Hampshire, without a permit, why should I be forbidden from flying at Franconia Notch State Park? This is the argument I made before the state legislature in my visit to Concord two Wednesdays ago.

I had been corresponding with one of my state representatives, Keith Ammon of New Boston, for over 6 months on this issue. Keith did some initial investigation at my request and was constantly treated with radio silence by officials in the state parks division. I kept pushing and encouraged Keith to submit a bill mid-September 2021. The resulting legislative service request became House Bill 1292 (2022).

In October, I began rallying support from other drone users throughout the state primarily through Facebook groups, namely NH Drone Enthusiasts. Thru this networking, I had a lot of support from Marie Sapienza, who is a lawyer, former state representative, and drone photographer from Newton, NH. Her work is fantastic and she frequently posts on her Facebook page. I also had a lot of support from Forrest from Alpine Digital Media in Lincoln, NH.

Then came January. Time for the hearing for HB 1292. Most people involved with New Hampshire politics would argue that having an over-400-member legislature is a profound feature, not a flaw, of New Hampshire’s government. As a direct result, in non-covid times, nearly all bills get public hearings, which is not true of most government bodies in the United States. Another benefit of the large size of the legislature is the ability to access politicians. Most politicians in New Hampshire will respond to genuine emails, which is how I even got to this point with the bill.

Enter stage right. Capital cities usually attempt to be a showpiece for the political entity they represent. Concord, New Hampshire, is no exception. The elegant granite government buildings embody the rugged and self-reliant nature of New Hampshire’s frontier yankee culture, which persists despite being rather cosmopolitan. As an aside, I will point out that there are state capitals that need to up their game. Trenton, New Jersey, I’m looking at you. As they say, “The world makes and Trenton takes.” Albany, New York, isn’t really anything to call home about either, nor is Hartford, Connecticut.

Center stage. All of the House committee hearings are held in the New Hampshire Legislative Office Building (LOB), located directly behind the New Hampshire State House. The LOB is a former federal courthouse and post office that was converted into state offices in the 1960s. Again, it’s one of the shining examples of New Hampshire granite architecture in Concord.

I walked into into the LOB and a security guard directed me up the stairs to the 3rd floor. I shuffled into the committee room during a hearing for some environmental bill that wasn’t very well attended. An elderly man wearing a mask dressed in flannel, who had just testified, glared grumpily at me as he proceeded back to his seat. I was wearing a business suit and an Old Man of the Mountain tie. How apropos?

The committee called Rep. Ammon to the stand, where he introduced the bill and alluded that I would be testifying. Within a couple minutes of Rep. Ammon’s testimony, the committee chair called the “expert”—me—to the stand. I gave my short speech and brought up many of the facts uncovered in me and Marie’s research.

Then came the questions. One of the most particular questions was in regards to privacy. What if people in state parks are captured in the drone footage they asked. I swiftly made the argument that people with iPhones have the right to film anywhere in public and people’s faces are much more in view from a close encounter with an iPhone rather than a drone far away in the sky.

Next up to the plate were the various administrators, all of whom testifying against the bill. Ha! None of them could really come up with compelling arguments against drones on public land. Drones are considerably quieter and safer than hunting or motor vehicles. Phil Bryce, the NH Parks and Recreation director, droned on and on with department mission statements. His testimony was taken right off the streets of Anatevka. “Tradition!” Phil kept saying. The famous song from “Fiddler on the Roof” came to mind. Drones apparently are not part of New Hampshire tradition and hunting is according to him. Never mind the fact that New Hampshire has a long tradition of embracing aerospace technology. In greater Nashua alone, Sanders Associates, and its many spinoffs, and Daniel Webster College were significant institutions in aerospace, and have long since had a profound impact on the modern economy of New Hampshire. The first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, was also a New Hampshire native.

I spoke with several representatives after the session and I do come away with some hope there will be a law or rules that will be more amenable to flying drones while also getting rid of the outright ban.

While it’s likely true that many government organizations operate in quasi-secrecy, I give the New Hampshire General Court a lot of credit for spending many hours holding these public hearings to at least listen to constituents. Anyone can go speak at these events. The doors are wide open.

Another observation was the attitude of a few of the reps. I noticed one rep in the minority party basically had his back turned the whole time to the speakers at the podium. I thought it was pretty disrespectful. If his ridiculous mask were any indication, he’s probably a pretty weird dude.

Overall a decent day in Concord. I encourage more people to testify at these hearings. If only we could harness just a fraction people’s energy that goes into posting scornful content on social media towards being active participants in government, the world would be a far better place. I believe the success of the New Hampshire model is attributable to both the politically active culture of New Hampshire and the structure of its government, and thus should be put on a pedestal as a shining example for the rest of the world to see.