Before You Sign Up

Read this important information before you fill out an application

Many WV trips fill quickly so we encourage prospective participants to respond promptly. WV service trips are open to adults 18 and older. The project fee for all 2021 projects is $375. WV is a nonprofit organization. The trip fee covers only a portion of the program costs; we raise the rest through fundraising. Tax-deductible contributions are welcomed and appreciated. Registration from November 16- December 16, 2021 is limited to Supporters of Wilderness Volunteers. You can become a Supporter here.

To register for a trip, submit a completed application with payment. Wilderness Volunteers’ trips are filled on a first-to-sign-up basis; however, WV reserves the right to review your application to ensure that the trip is appropriate for your level of fitness and experience. If you are not accepted for the trip, you will not be charged.

Your Responsibility

Service trips are cooperative endeavors. Participants need to be accommodating of each other and supportive of group efforts. A sense of humor, adventuresome spirit and appreciation of the outdoors is always welcome! Many trips require participants to hike in groups of at least three on the off days due to the remote area and changeable weather.
You are responsible for selecting a trip (with the aid of our staff) that is appropriate for your abilities (trip ratings are described here), reading the materials sent to you to prepare you for the trip, bringing appropriate equipment as advised by Wilderness Volunteers, acting courteously to other participants, adhering to our COVID-19 safety guidelines, and following Leave No Trace camping ethics as taught by our leaders. You are responsible for getting yourself to the meeting place; we provide a Roster and a Trip Forum so that participants can contact each other. Our liability carrier prohibits Wilderness Volunteers staff and leaders from making pre-project travel arrangements for participants.

All volunteers must have the ability to live in remote areas where there are few amenities and the weather is unpredictable, must be willing and able to work throughout the day on the project and assist with camp chores, and maintain a positive attiude in a group setting throughout the week.

Please Note

Do not book nonrefundable travel until you have received confirmation of your acceptance for the trip.
Wilderness Volunteers reserves the right to cancel any trip if conditions (such as fire danger or low sign-up) make it impossible to proceed. If this happens, your full trip fee will be refunded. We are not responsible for additional expenses incurred by you in preparing for the trip (i.e. nonrefundable air fares, gear, etc.).
Trip Leaders have the right to disqualify a participant at any time during the trip if they feel the he/she is incapable of continuing without jeopardizing their own or the group’s health, well-being or safety. Under these circumstances, no refund is given.
The trips are all 6 or 7 days long; no provisions are in place for folks to leave early or come late. If you can’t do the entire trip, don’t sign up.
Service trips are cooperative ventures between Wilderness Volunteers and the public land agency. WV trips are planned a year in advance and sometimes an agency’s work priorities change. Participants need to be accommodating of itinerary changes.
Our goal is to have full trips to get the work projects completed and be as useful to the agencies as possible. Please don’t sign up for a trip if you aren’t sure you can do it. If you hold a space and cancel, you prevent someone who could have done the trip from signing up. It is often hard to find participants in the weeks immediately preceding the trips — everyone has busy lives!

These are Prohibited

Pets, children, firearms, illegal/recreational drugs and fireworks are not allowed on trips. Please do not bring them. Playing of music on portable speakers is also prohibited on trips.

Fitness, Weight, Smoking & Alcohol

All of our trips require you to be in good shape and ready for a week of hiking and work appropriate to the project. You will have a better time on your trip if you choose a trip in line with your abilities.

We use the Body Mass Index (BMI) when looking at height/weight ratios. You can find your BMI here . If you have a BMI over 29, you will probably be turned down for most of the trips. However, we will look at your experience and what you do to stay in shape.

Due to the aerobic requirements of service trips and the aesthetic concerns of smoking (litter, secondhand smoke, fire danger), we strongly discourage smoking. Some trips are designated nonsmoking at the request of the leader.

While we don’t prohibit alcohol, we suggest that you leave it at home. The wilderness is a great place to have heightened senses, and alcohol is a depressant. It is also dehydrating. If you do bring a bit of something to sip, make sure it’s just a bit and doesn’t become a problem. Some trips are designated no alcohol by the agency or the leaders.

Travel and Expenses

Trips begin and end at the trailhead; participants must provide and/or arrange their own transportation to and from the trip. Trips involving on-trip auto transportation require participants to provide their own auto transportation or arrange carpools with other trip members. All travel costs, program fees and incidental expenses incurred on our volunteer service trips can be viewed as charitable contributions and are deductible to the limits of the tax code (save your receipts!) as determined by the IRS. Check with your tax advisor for further clarification.

Wilderness Volunteers will review all applications within two weeks of receipt and notify you by email of your acceptance. After you are accepted to a project, you will be able to sign into the Participant’s Area and view more information about the project including an equipment list, travel information, and rendezvous instructions (some trips meet the evening before the project begins). Please check your trip packet for information on when to book return transportation as some leeway might be required.

Insurance and Liability

Participants who are traveling to the trips via commercial carrier are urged to consider trip cancellation insurance (available online or through a travel agent). This insurance protects you against financial loss if you must cancel or interrupt a trip because of illness or injury to yourself, a family member, or traveling companion. All trip participants must provide their own health and accident insurance; in case of injury, the cost of evacuation and treatment is the responsibility of the participant. Each participant will be required to fill out a Medical Information and Assumption of Risk Form before participating on any trip.

Cancellations and Refunds

The office must be informed of cancellations directly via phone (928-255-1128), email (reservations@wildernessvolunteers.org), or mail (PO Box 22292 Flagstaff, AZ 86001). The sooner you inform us of your need to cancel, the better the opportunity we will have to fill the trip.

• If you cancel 60 days or greater from a project:

– One time transfer with no fee to another project in the same calendar year OR
– Get a refund of your project fee minus a $150 cancellation fee

• If you cancel 30-59 days before a project:

– One time transfer with no fee to another project in the same calendar year OR
– Get a refund of your project fee minus a $200 cancellation fee

• If you cancel 0-29 days before a project:

– No transfers
– No refunds

Reservations may be cancelled within 14 days of acceptance with no cancellation fee. (This does not apply to reservations made within 30 days of a project start date.)

As a small nonprofit on a tight budget, Wilderness Volunteers cannot make exceptions to this refund policy for any reason, including personal emergencies or weather.

We make every effort to run each project as advertised but sometimes project details (leaders, campsites, work project, etc.) must be changed in order to run the project. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for last minute project cancellations due to natural disasters (fire, flooding, volcanic activity, etc.)

If Wilderness Volunteers is forced to cancel a project due to low sign-up, etc. we will attempt to do so at least 30 days before the trip start date. If a project is cancelled by Wilderness Volunteers, you will receive a full refund. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for airline tickets, other tickets or payments, or any similar fees or penalties that you may incur as a result of any project cancellations or changes.

Waitlist

Qualified participants who sign up for a trip that is full will be put on a waitlist pending space becoming available; your credit card will not be charged and payment details will be deleted. You can cancel from the waitlist at any time. Once you have been notified of space availability you will have a limited time to decide if you still want to do the trip and resubmit payment information.

Cancellations do occur. If you would like to be on the waitlist for any trip that is currently full, submit an application. We’ll let you know if space becomes available.