Parks And Places Online

[ron_dittmer]

My brother has been putting together YouTube videos of parks and places that he and my sister-in-law have travelled to. It's sort-of a travel channel hobby he is establishing.

CLICK HERE to get to his YouTube listing of short videos.

I thoroughly enjoyed the one video called "No To Solar", primarily because he shares his opinion during a hike in Big Bend National Park. I simply enjoyed his hike.

[valhalla360]

ron.dittmer wrote:
I think you people are over-thinking this. My brother's PARKS AND PLACES ONLINE is a hobby of his in his recent retirement, sharing his travel experiences with gentile reference to God our Creator.

It's a valid concern but assuming your brother isn't profiting, he should be fine.

Youtube is a different traditional media sources. While the vast majority of channels are hobbies as you say, there is a sizable group that are doing it as a profit making venture. Making a profit, makes it commercial and subject to permit requirements.

As long as he isn't making a profit, should be no issues.

[ron_dittmer]

I think you people are over-thinking this. My brother's PARKS AND PLACES ONLINE is a hobby of his in his recent retirement, sharing his travel experiences with gentile reference to God our Creator.

[valhalla360]

NatParkJunkie wrote:
I'm not passing any judgment. Just for their awareness, the following:

RV COUPLE FINED $1000, THREATENED WITH ARREST FOR MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEO IN NATIONAL PARK

Personally, I think the NPS rules are outdated. Their rules were designed for when Jeep wants to film a commercial driving the loop road through Arches national park, or Hollywood wants to film a movie inside a national park, etc. But they decided to make an example out of that youtube couple from the link.

We follow the couple who got fined and we enjoy their videos. They were fined for doing commercial filming in a park without a permit.

They are very clearly a commercial operation deriving most of their income from their videos (or marketing tie ins to the videos) and they've grown the business to be a pretty sizable income with a large youtube presence (they make no allusions that they aren't doing it for profit). During their international travels, they had a history of skirting similar rules but since they rarely spent more than a week or so in a country and the videos would come out a week or two later, they typically got away with it. Being American citizens and stuck in the US for most of the year, they got caught skirting the rules and paid for it.

This is exactly like any other commercial operation using the national parks. It's common for smaller companies to skirt rules and often they get away with it for a long time. Larger operations (and by youtube standards they are a fairly big channel) more often rise to the attention of those in charge of the rules.

The permits really aren't that expensive and it ensures that film makers understand the rules and don't unduly disturb park guests. They even admitted in a follow up video that it wasn't the cost but they didn't want to deal with the paperwork and process.

If the OP's videos are just for fun with no profits, they are no different from you taking a video for personal use and no permit is needed (but do be courteous to other visitors)

[SDcampowneroper]

simply, federal law you cannot profit from personal use of gov. lands without payment, permit. You can with a use. permit such as firewood, personal or commercial, .
Commercial for profit use of federal lands are by license only. A camp in the Black Hills that led horseback rides thru the forest was bankrupted for lack of license, permit.
On our last winter sojourn to backcountry Az, where 4x4 sxs were prevalent and camps led paid guides to lead guided tours all over the BLM lands I arose the issue, to the camp owner, he immediatelly ended the practice
Gov. lands are all ours, where they are impacted by the few

there should be protection and compensation for use of our land.

[IAMICHABOD]

What a great idea. Maybe he might think of sharing to many others by going to Campground Views and submitting a video there too.

I know I have used Campground Views many times and others here on the Forum have also. It was a great tool to see what I was going to encounter when I got there.

[NatParkJunkie]

I'm not passing any judgment. Just for their awareness, the following:

RV COUPLE FINED $1000, THREATENED WITH ARREST FOR MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEO IN NATIONAL PARK

Personally, I think the NPS rules are outdated. Their rules were designed for when Jeep wants to film a commercial driving the loop road through Arches national park, or Hollywood wants to film a movie inside a national park, etc. But they decided to make an example out of that youtube couple from the link.