On the Seatle sectional, just off the Oregon coast at Nehalem Bay State (3S7), there's a charted notice: "NOTICE TO PILOTS - The Islands, Rocks, and Reefs along the Pacific coastline from 42°00'N to 46°00'N are National Wildlife Refugues. Low flight may disturb wildlife resulting in a violation of Federal law."
Meanwhile, AIM 7-5-6 reads, in part:
"b. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
c. Federal statutes prohibit certain types of flight activity and/or provide altitude restrictions over designated U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas. These designated areas, for example: Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Areas, Minnesota; Haleakala National Park, Hawaii; Yosemite National Park, California; and Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are charted on Sectional Charts."
I've seen the Oregon coast by land, and I'd love to have a scenic flight there when I visit in a couple weeks, but I'm confused by the ambiguous nature of the charted notice. The sectionals for the other examples cited in the AIM provide clear guidence on altitudes and areas to avoid. How exactly does one operate an airplane so as not to disturb wildlife? Is maintaining 2000' AGL sufficient?
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