Outdoor Skills Education

Description

The Outdoor Skills Education Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) consists of providing classes to visitors/clients that includes learning safety, rescue, and survival skills within the Buffalo National River while maintaining a required continuous presence at all times with the visitors/clients regardless of compensation or lack thereof.

Applications are accepted at any time during the year.

Required Documents

· Insurance Certification

· Employee List providing names and titles of all persons associated with the CUA

· Operating Plan including required instructor/guide qualifications/certifications, previous experience, a safety plan of action, safety gear and equipment that will be used, and a sample of a typical course itinerary.

 

Park Specific Conditions

Permits/Licenses

The holder must obtain all permits or licenses of State or local governments, as applicable, necessary to conduct the business activities specified above and must operate in compliance with all pertinent Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.

Group Size Limits

In order to ensure participant safety and minimize impacts to the river access areas and other visitor use, commercial rescue training courses will be limited to a maximum of twenty-two (22) persons per session, including two instructors. Two instructors will be required for class sizes of ten (10) to twenty (20). Group count will include individuals in the group watching the training activity.

Authorized Locations

Developed, primitive, and backcountry areas open to visitor use are authorized. However, all areas within designated Wilderness locations are prohibited, including the section downriver from Clabber Creek Shoals.

· Watercraft will be collected and removed from take-out/launch areas in a timely manner. These areas will be kept clear for other park visitors.

· Holder must not use river accesses that are used for boat launches or take-outs for meetings, instructional sites, or breaks.

· Holder will keep the launches/take-outs and vehicle roadways clear for other park visitors.

 

Overnight Trips

This permit does not authorize overnight stays. A separate overnight backpacking/camping CUA must be obtained to conduct overnight trips within the park.

Course Plan

Holder will notify the commercial services office at [e-mail] at least ten (10) days in advance of any planned upcoming courses to occur on park lands to ensure there are no other planned activities or permits for the area(s) being requested. Holder understands requested area(s) may not be available for planned course date(s) and may be required to find alternative site(s) or revise course date(s).

· Course plan must include the following:

1. The name of Holder and the name of guide(s);

2. Number of people in the course;

3. Training equipment being used;

4. Date of course; and

5. Location of course.

· Failure to file a course plan with the commercial services office may result in suspension or revocation of the CUA

Authorized Instructors/Guides

When operating within the park boundaries, the Holder, and registered employee(s), when approached by any NPS Park Ranger must announce that they are an authorized outdoor skills instructor/guide.

· Holder must inform the National Park Service within 5 days when an employee (those working under this permit) is added or is no longer an employee of the business.

· A fully executed copy of the CUA must be with the Holder and their employees when operating in the park unit and must be presented to any park employee on demand.

· This authorization does not authorize the Holder to advertise, solicit business, collect any fees, or sell any goods or services on lands owned and controlled by the United States. The authorization is for the incidental use of park area resources by operations that provide commercial services originating and terminating outside of the park unit (or within an inholding).

 

Course Specifics

· The Holder shall inform clients of the general park regulations and provide a safety orientation before beginning class. The orientation will include, but not limited to, length of proposed event, average time required for completion, relative difficulty, and clients will be notified of hazards.

· Holder will ensure that emergency communications are available in the field. Such communication will consist of a radio or cell phone system capable of contacting the park’s dispatch or local 911 center.

· Holder will provide and require clients to wear any protective gear needed for activity conducted under this authorization. The holder will ensure all equipment is in good working order by inspection prior to each trip. Equipment used, operational procedures, and services that occur on National Park Service lands shall, at all times, be subject to inspection by the National Park Service to ensure safety and compliance with terms of this authorization and quality of visitor services.

· Classes are to be scheduled so as not to conflict with NPS-conducted activities.

· Holder will ensure participants take an adequate supply of safe drinking water for classes being held in locations that do not have access to potable water.

· Holder will clear course location of all equipment returning the site to original condition within two (2) hours after completion of the class. Cleanup will be to the satisfaction of the Superintendent or designee.

· Utmost care will be exercised to see that no natural, historic, or cultural features are damaged.

· The area(s) authorized for use under this authorization must be left in substantially the same condition as it was prior to the activities authorized herein.

· It is the Holder's responsibility to obtain prior approval from landowners for access to or across private lands within the Park.

· The NPS maintains a lost and found system and items must be reported within 24 hours at phone number 870-439-2502.

 

Leave No Trace

All courses within park boundaries must be conducted utilizing “Leave No Trace” principles. Holders are responsible for ensuring that all instructors working for them under this permit are knowledgeable of and all clients adhere to the Leave No Trace principles which can be found online at http://lnt.org/learn/7-principles.

Waste Management

Refuse and trash must be transported to a place where the materials may be safely and lawfully disposed. Carry out all items taken on the river or into the backcountry. Burying trash is prohibited. In non-developed areas, solid human waste must be: deposited in fixtures provided for that purpose; buried in a cathole 6” to 8” deep and at least 200’ from water, camp, and trails; packed out in a disposable biodegradable bag toilet system approved for landfill disposal (WAG bag or similar system); or packed out in a self-contained washable, leak-proof, reusable toilet system. Unless designated for that purpose, bathing and washing clothing or dishes at public water outlets or in or within 100 feet of streams is prohibited

Damage to Natural/Cultural Resources

The Holder and their employees registered under this Authorization will ensure that no visitor/client disturbs, climbs on, damages, or removes any natural/cultural resources, archeological or historic artifacts. Entering any closed area is prohibited by law. If artifacts are discovered, the Holder will ensure they are left in place undisturbed and will immediately report the discovery to the Buffalo National River Cultural Resources office at [phone] or to the Midwest Region Ozark Communication Center (MROCC) at [phone].

 

Emergency Response

All emergency situations such as accidents, fires, and search and rescues will be reported to the Midwest Region Ozark Communication Center (MROCC) at [phone], at the earliest possible opportunity.

Monitoring

The holder may be monitored periodically by the National Park Service to ensure the information provided to customers is accurate and appropriate. The holder shall, upon notification by the National Park Service, immediately correct all deficiencies noted.

Operating Plan

The Holder is required to submit an Operating Plan to the National Park Service (NPS) summarizing the operations to be conducted, safety plan of action, previous experience, current certifications, instructor qualifications, and a typical itinerary for the activity type. The plan is reviewed and approved/disapproved by the NPS. The operating plan will be kept on file and will become part of the record regarding the performance of this Permit. However, it is a separate document and will not become part of the Permit. The operating plan will specifically include a safety plan of action the Holder will implement in the event of accident or injury.

Public Health

· Food/Water Service: If food is being provided to clients, the holder must obtain a current NPS Public Health Food permit and submit training records to the NPS. Food service and water provided shall be in accordance with current U.S. Public Health Service Food Code and the National Park Service’s Reference Manual 83A for Backcountry Operations. Permittees are responsible for ensuring all event staff under this permit are knowledgeable of NPS Reference Manual 83A, Chapter 5 for Backcountry Operations which can be found online at Reference Manual - 83A PUBLIC HEALTH: Protection and Prevention (nps.gov) (The Backcountry Operations manual is located on Page 104 of the linked PDF document) or by contacting the Commercial Services office at 870-365-2724 or 870-365-2702 or via email at [e-mail].

· Potable Water: Filtration and disinfection are both required for the treatment of water unless the water is obtained from an approved public water source or is boiled. It must be emphasized to all backcountry users that non-potable water is not safe to drink following filtration without disinfection. Page 4 of Chapter 5: Backcountry Operations in Reference Manual 83A provides the three pre-approved methods of providing potable water for drinking and culinary uses. Reference Manual 83A, Chapter 5 for Backcountry Operations can be found online at Reference Manual - 83A PUBLIC HEALTH: Protection and Prevention (nps.gov) (The Backcountry Operations manual is located on Page 104 of the linked PDF document) or by contacting the Commercial Services office at 870-365-2724 or 870-365-2702 or via email at [e-mail].

· Human Illness Reporting: Information on human illnesses associated with food or water sources within park boundaries will be immediately reported to the Midwest Region Ozark Communication Center (MROCC) at [phone], at the earliest possible opportunity.

 

Prohibited Activity

The Holder and employees registered under this Permit are specifically prohibited from providing, conducting, engaging in, or effecting by any method of delivery, including by land, by water or by air, the following:

· Engaging in an activity for which you are NOT specifically permitted is prohibited.

· Traversing by vehicle anywhere other than on designated state, county, and/or park-maintained roads.

· Causing any damage and/or harm to any natural, cultural and/or historic resource or facility, including removing posted signs.

· Feeding, molesting, or harming wildlife.

· Cutting and/or creating new trails in any form or by any means.

· Marking trails by flagging, rock cairns, vegetation, or dead wood, or by use of marking paint of any kind or by any means.

· Entering any closed areas.

· Providing alcohol products of any kind to any visitor/client.

· The use of drones or any unmanned aircraft.

· Cutting live vegetation and/or excavating soil.

· Maintaining equipment or food caches with park boundaries.

· The use of pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides), or toxic materials, except for personal insect repellents labeled for that purpose, is prohibited unless they are specifically approved by the Superintendent.

· Glass is prohibited. The possession or use of glass containers in caves, on trails or waterways or within 100 feet (30.48 meters) of any river or stream in the park is prohibited except in designated campgrounds, picnic sites, or in vehicles on designated roads and parking areas.

· Entry into caves is prohibited except for those identified in the Superintendent’s Compendium.