Once a commercial operator receives a permit to operate in BICY, the owner and guides will be required to attend training provided by BICY staff and others.

Training for operators consists of:

2 full days of training on-site at BICY - 1.25 days inside and .75 day field trip. Field trips will be specific to permitted activity

Operators will also be required to participate in 3 additional documented training opportunities throughout the year, to be selected from a list provided by NPS to operator.

Examples: Rookery Bay Ecotour operator workshops; FL Master Naturalist Program; BICY Seasonal Interpretation Training; BICY invitational Lunch and Learn sessions; BICY scheduled interpretive programs; On-line opportunities such as those provided on www.eppley.org

Other training opportunities not on the list can be submitted to BICY for approval, but must be approved in advance, in order to be accepted to meet requirements for training. Our intention is to provide as many opportunities to get NPS approved training as possible, and providing it to as many commercial operator staff as possible.

The training is mandatory for the owners and managers of commercial operations, and since the operator will be required to provide training to meet NPS standards, we will try to “catch” the guides as they arrive for the season.