Participant Agreement
I recognize that participation in the EarthTrek program operated by The Geological Society of America, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation, is a special opportunity which requires that I conform to the highest standards of conduct while participating in EarthTrek projects. By clicking the button marked “I agree” at the bottom of the registration page, I am agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Participation Agreement and Code of Conduct.
I understand that only people who are 13 years or older can register to be part of the EarthTrek program.
In exchange for the opportunity to participate in the EarthTrek program, I agree as follows:
1. I will adhere to the EarthTrek Code of Conduct while participating in EarthTrek projects. This means that whenever I participate in an EarthTrek project -
- I will carefully review and follow the instructions posted on the project Web page;
- I will comply with the laws, respect the customs, and obey the rules of the places I visit and will not enter any property unlawfully or without obtaining the necessary permissions.
- I will collect data at the highest possible standard using the equipment available to me and be careful to maintain accuracy in both data collection and logging.
- I will not collect any data, samples, specimens or other materials at an EarthTrek data collection site unless it is part of the project and I have all necessary permissions to do so.
- I will respect the integrity of each site I visit, and will not damage, desecrate, contaminate, litter, or have any other impact on the site except to the minimum extent necessary to collect the data, samples, specimens or other materials needed for the project.
- I will keep confidential and not disclose (except to EarthTrek) the location of the sites I visit, whether it is a site I have been directed to as part of the project, or a site I find as a result of visiting or looking for a potential EarthTrek data collection site.
- I will be courteous and respectful in my communications and dealings with others.
2. I have read and will be bound by the EarthTrek Web Site Terms of Use.
3. I have read and will be bound by the EarthTrek Privacy Policy.
4. I will not be compensated for my participation in any EarthTrek project. I will be responsible for all of the costs and expenses I incur in the course of participating in any EarthTrek project.
5. The information, data, samples, specimens, photographs, images and other materials I submit (and any comments, feedback, suggestions, or ideas I provide) in connection with an EarthTrek project (collectively, “my Submissions”) shall be and remain the exclusive property of The Geological Society of America, Inc. (“GSA”). By submitting my Submissions to EarthTrek (or any individual associated with a project), I am assigning to GSA all rights, title and interests in my Submissions, including all copyrights and other intellectual property rights in my Submissions. GSA will be entitled to reduce to practice, make, use, copy, disclose, display or perform publicly, distribute, improve and modify my Submissions for any purpose whatsoever, and permit others to do the same, without restriction, without compensating me in any way, and without attribution. GSA will have no obligation to keep my Submissions confidential, except that GSA will not disclose any of my personal information except as set forth in the EarthTrek Privacy Policy. I will not submit any information, data, materials, comments, feedback, suggestions or ideas to the EarthTrek program (or others associated with the project) unless I have the legal right to do so and to assign all rights, title and interests in them to GSA.
6. EarthTrek may remove me from participation in the EarthTrek program or any project at any time, for any or no reason, and all such decisions shall be final and may not be appealed.