Introduction

Santa Fe Nature Guiding LLC (“Santa Fe Nature Guiding”) does not discriminate on the basis of disability. Santa Fe Nature Guiding has developed the following Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) which are applicable to all participants on Santa Fe Nature Guiding trips.

The purpose of EEC is to help potential Santa Fe Nature Guiding participants identify the skills and abilities necessary to participate on a Santa Fe Nature Guiding trip. The EEC for a specific trip, if not met, will disqualify a person from participating in that trip.  The EEC are applied uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability. The criteria exist for your own safety and that of all trip participants.

If you identify an EEC that you are unable to meet, please contact Santa Fe Nature Guiding, and we will discuss with you the potential for providing a reasonable modification or accommodation for a specific trip. A reasonable modification or accommodation is one that does not fundamentally alter the nature of the trip or the services that Santa Fe Nature Guiding provides, pose a significant health or safety risk to the participants or trip guides, or that would cause an undue burden or hardship on Santa Fe Nature Guiding, including financial or administrative burdens.

If you plan to use an assistive device, please notify Santa Fe Nature Guiding at the time of registration or as soon as practicable.

Essential Eligibility Criteria

For ALL activities offered by Santa Fe Nature Guiding, each participant must:

  • Be in reasonably good health and fitness.
  • Be able to breathe independently without any assistance from medical devices and/or trained professionals.
  • Be able to perceive, understand, and recall the inherent risks and hazards of the activity, including but not limited to those previously identified by the trip guide(s).
  • Be able to stay alert and to focus attention for several hours each day for the duration of the trip and during instruction and trip activities.
  • Be able to independently perceive, understand, and follow both verbal and non-verbal instructions given by the trip guide(s) in all situations and to effectively communicate with trip guide(s) and other participants. During stressful, dangerous, or emergency situations, participant must be able independently to immediately and quickly perceive, understand, and follow both verbal and non-verbal instructions given by the trip guide(s).
  • Be able to effectively communicate with trip guides and participants including in challenging or high stress situations (such as medical or environmental emergencies) or in challenging environmental conditions which may include conditions of limited visibility, inclement weather, and conditions which require one to overcome loud background noise such as high wind or roaring .
  • Be able to perform self-care and participate in all activities of daily living such as eating, hydration, personal hygiene, toileting (including bladder and bowel control), and dressing, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be able to manage all personal medications, including dosing and administration, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be able to remain adequately fed, hydrated, and properly dressed so as to avoid environmental injuries such as heat-related illness and sunburn and other injuries such as hypothermia and dehydration, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be able to remain active and manage personal care for extended periods of mobility and exertion of potentially over 6 hours per day, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be able to enter and exit a multi-passenger vehicle, which may include a bus, van, SUV, or mini-bus, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant or assistance of a fellow participant or trip guide.
  • Be able to stay balanced and seated in a multi-passenger vehicle transporting up to 10 passengers, while the vehicle is moving, up to eight hours in a single day, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be mentally and physically able to participate in a group setting without negatively impacting or jeopardizing the health or safety of the other participants or trip guide(s).
  • Be able to maintain self-care in an environment where allergen exposure and cross-contamination may occur.
  • Be able to effectively notify or communicate with a companion who accompanies the participant, trip guides, or other participants of personal distress, injury, illness, or the need for assistance, including in adverse or challenging weather or environmental conditions.
  • Be able to properly wear and use all required protective gear and clothing.
  • Be able to meet the demands of the trip within the time limits set by the trip itinerary and trip guides.
  • Be able and willing to use public bathrooms, campground bathrooms, outdoor toilets or no toilet at all.
  • Be able to travel over backcountry trail terrain that may be narrow, uneven, rough, rocky, muddy, icy or snow-covered, has loose soil, or is cactus or sagebrush covered, and which may also have exposed cliffs or ledges, either independently or with the assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.
  • Be able to travel over backcountry trail terrain for at least the mileage figures noted in the itinerary for the trip you join, including elevation differential (gain and/or loss) listed, carrying personal gear and equipment as described below.
  • Be able to carry personal gear and equipment for a day hike, either independently or with the assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant. Such gear and equipment may include a day-pack, at least two liters of water per person, extra clothing, rain gear, sunscreen, food and snacks, and other supplies.
  • Be able to travel for up to one hour between rest breaks and longer if the conditions require it.
  • Be able to endure exposure to diverse and changing weather conditions, including temperatures potentially below freezing (32 F/0 C) and potentially above 85 F/29 C or even above 100 F/37 C degrees, extremely dry and/or humid environmental conditions, high altitude, intense sun exposure, and potentially rapidly changing weather conditions such as dry, hot conditions to intense or extreme rain, wind, lightning, and thunderstorms, including monsoons and flash floods.

Statement of Non-descrimination

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD 3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; email: program.intake@usda.gov