Commercial Use Authorization Stipulations

2025 Park Specific Stipulations - Sitka National Historical Park

103 Monastery Street - Sitka, AK 99835 - 907-747-0132 phone - 907-747-5938 fax

The following specific provisions (in addition to the National and Regional Conditions of the Authorization), are applicable to those commercial activities and areas authorized through a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA):
As used herein and in any CUA, the term “employee” includes all of the CUA holder’s officers, employees and other representatives, including but not limited to interns or volunteers.

1. CUA holders and their employees must inform their clientele that they are entering a unit of the National Park Service called Sitka National Historical Park.


2. CUA holders and their employees are prohibited from conducting tours, guiding in/or interpreting features inside the Visitor Center. The CUA holder and their employees must cease commercial activities while their clients are in the Visitor Center other than to advise them when it is time to depart.


3. CUA holders and their employees are prohibited from conducting tours, guiding in/or interpreting features inside the Russian Bishop’s House. The CUA holder and their employees must cease commercial activities upon their clients entering the Russian Bishop’s House other than to advise them when it is time to depart.


4. The park will limit or delay entrance to the Visitor Center as needed for NPS to manage for fire code compliance.


5. NPS will not make announcements on behalf of CUA holders or their employees inside the Visitor Center or the Russian Bishop's House.

6. CUA holders and their employees shall conduct their activities in a safe manner. CUA holders and their employees shall inform visitors of potential safety hazards or concerns within the park prior to unloading passengers from CUA vehicles or on arrival at the park. Notifications of additional safety hazards or concerns may be communicated by NPS via email or direct communication. Further safety information will be contained in the Sitka NHP CUA Reference Guide.
   
   Potential safety hazards or concerns include but are not limited to:

• Bear safety

• Traffic safety

• Weather conditions

• Most recent health protocols (if applicable)

7. Effective January 1, 2024, CUA holders and their employees must review the Sitka NHP CUA Reference Guide provided by the NPS. CUA holders and their employees must submit a written certification, available from the park, to attest to having read and to understanding the Sitka NHP CUA Reference Guide prior to conducting commercial activities each season.


8. CUA holders and their employees must report a bear observation, encounter or conflict to NPS staff as soon as practicable following the contact, and before leaving the park. If an NPS employee cannot be contacted in the field, the CUA holder/employee must notify NPS staff at the Visitor Center desk or call 907-747-0145 and leave a message with the caller’s contact information.


9. CUA holders must attend an annual pre-season business partner meeting with the NPS either in person or via telephone as scheduled by NPS. CUA holders unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances must notify the NPS and submit a certification report, available from the park, acknowledging that they and their staff have reviewed the required park information prior to beginning operations. CUA holders will be notified in advance of online postings, requirements, and/or meeting locations.


10. Effective January 1, 2024, CUA holders must attend an annual post-summer business partner meeting with the NPS either in person or via telephone or provide written feedback to NPS via email. In conjunction with this requirement, CUA holders will be notified in advance of online postings, requirements, and/or meeting locations.


11. When conducting tours at Sitka NHP, CUA holders and their employees shall provide accurate information about park resources. Park staff may accompany the CUA tour to monitor accuracy. Inaccuracies or misrepresentations will be brought to the attention of the permittee in-person, by phone or email. The CUA holder must take corrective action and send a corrective action plan back to the park within five business days of receiving NPS notice.


12. Effective January 1, 2024, guided tours are limited to a group size of 25 people per tour guide. Guided tours should maintain sufficient separation from all other tour groups to limit crowding and prevent auditory interference. If one CUA holder drops off more than one guided tour at a time, each group (25 person maximum) must have a tour guide and must provide at least five minutes between the start of each tour group within the park to limit crowding.


13. CUA holders and their employees must stagger their tour groups to maintain clear passage of other groups and/or visitors across the pedestrian bridge.


14. If other visitors are waiting, CUA tour guides must limit time spent at the outside carving shed to ten minutes.


15. CUA holders and their employees may not prohibit other park visitors from participating (free of charge) in that portion of the tour which occurs within Sitka NHP.


16. CUA holders authorized to use motorized vehicles must display their business name on the vehicle’s exterior or in a manner that is easily visible through the windshield of each vehicle in Sitka NHP. The displayed business name must match the holder’s current CUA permit (Form 10-115) and the text must be at least two inches tall.


17. CUA holders and their employees must follow the current map for parking, tour orientation, and waiting areas. The map may be updated by the NPS as needed. Operators will be provided with the current map via email, within five business days of update.
    
    Parking
    Parking, specific to the vehicle type, will be identified on the map provided by the NPS. Vehicles must park within the provided parking spaces according to designated vehicle type. At no time will the maximum capacity of the designated parking for buses or oversized vehicles be exceeded.
    Drivers must not unload passengers until the vehicle is parked in the designated area.
    Vehicles operated by CUA holders and their employees are prohibited from parking in the lower parking lot. Does not apply to ‘Taxi Service’ CUA holders.
    
    Waiting Areas
    Designated waiting areas will be identified on the map provided by the NPS. All drivers must advise the passengers where the designated waiting area is to ensure their safety.
    
    Tour Orientation
    Designated tour stop and tour orientation location(s) will be identified on the map provided by the NPS. Tour orientations are prohibited within the transportation corridors or parking areas of the parking lots, and on the serpentine walkway connecting the upper parking lot to the lower parking lot.


18. Engines must be shut off while the vehicle is parked.


19. Commercial vehicle arrivals from the same CUA holder must be spaced at least 10 minutes apart.


20. CUA holders and their employees must report any violations they observe in the park to include violations of state, federal or local law, regulations, and/or policy, including violations of the Superintendent’s Compendium and CUA stipulations. Notification of any violations mentioned above must be made to the Sitka NHP Chief Ranger (907-747-0127) as soon as practicable but in any event no later than 48 hours following the incident, and in writing as directed.


21. The CUA holder, guides, and other employees of the CUA holder must comply with any direction from a uniformed NPS employee. The NPS employee will have the authority to make all decisions to assure compliance with the CUA, applicable laws, regulations, and policy.



22. The Sitka NHP CUA Monitoring Fee of $3.00 per person, per day (excludes guides), is due on or before November 15th annually along with the Annual and Activity Reports specified in the Interior Region 11 Permit Conditions.

23. Further to Interior Region 11 Condition #15, while reporting each group separately is preferred, Sitka NHP CUA holders are permitted to report all trips to the park on the same day as one trip.

24. Effective January 1, 2025, a CUA is required to operate any commercial passenger-carrying motor vehicle (including taxis) within the boundary of Sitka National Historical Park.

25. CUA holders authorized to provide ‘Taxi Services’ are permitted to use the lower parking lot. Parking time in the lower parking lot shall not exceed 10 minutes.