High School Groups Terms & Conditions

1. Signing up for a Group Expedition

The first step for group leaders is to select a project and identify the dates when your group would be able to go. The Earthwatch Group Program Manager will work with leaders to select a project which matches your group's interests, desired destination, desired schedule, and budget.

Expedition dates can be created to match the group's needs, and therefore do not necessarily have to fit within the expedition schedules published online.

After the group leader has selected a project and dates have been confirmed, a Group Agreement Form and Volunteer Registration Forms will be sent to the group leader. The agreement form should be faxed back to Earthwatch at:

978.461.2332
Attention "Group Program Manager"

Then, informational materials specific to that project and expedition will be sent to the leader for use at any student/parent meetings. 

All volunteers/group participants must complete a registration form and return it with their initial deposit; no one will be officially enrolled until his or her deposit is received.

The registrations and deposits should be collected by the group leader and submitted to Earthwatch via fax (978.461.2332, Group Program Manager) or mailed to:

Earthwatch Institute 
Group Program Manager 
3 Clock Tower Place 
Suite 100
Maynard, MA 01754

2. General Payment Information 

Earthwatch accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), checks, or money orders - do not send cash. Checks should be made payable to Earthwatch Institute. Volunteers can make payments individually through any payment method above, but group leaders should collect the payments and submit them to Earthwatch in one envelope, to the address above.

Please clearly mark payments with: 

School/organization name 
Group leader's full name 
Expedition name (e.g. "Dolphins and Whales of Abaco Island") 

Checks should also contain:

Name of the participant
Name, address, and phone number of the person signing the check. 

If the group is fundraising for the expedition, contributors' checks can either be made out directly to Earthwatch or collected by the group leader. (Alternatively, they can be made out to and submitted to the participating school, which must then issue a check to Earthwatch for the full amount due.)  

Earthwatch recommends the participating school or organization start an Expedition Fund (available in the US or Canda only).

An Expedition Fund can be started with a minimum contribution of $100. Once an Expedition Fund is open, volunteers and contributors (parents, colleagues, community members, etc.) can add to it in increments of $25 or more.

Contributors receive an email confirmation of their non-refundable, tax deductible donations. All Expedition Fund contributions are to be used toward the cost of the group's expedition and will be credited to anyone the group leader designates as a participant. Should a group have to cancel, all contributions made into its Expedition Fund must be used for an Earthwatch expedition within 3 years of the initial deposit or these contributions will be considered general donations to Earthwatch. 

Learn more about our Expedition Fund Program (for US and Canada residents only), and contact the Group Program Manager if you have any questions. 

3. Payment Deadlines 

June 15, 2009 - Due Date for Initial Deposits, Early Enrollment for 2010  
October 15, 2009 - Due Date for Initial Deposits, Regular Enrollment for 2010    

4. The Volunteer Contribution

The volunteer's contribution covers the cost of meals, accommodation, on-site travel (NOT airfare or other travel costs to/from the rendezvous point), emergency medical/evacuation insurance, 24 hour emergency service, the guidance of experienced field scientists and Earthwatch staff, and all of the various costs of field research (field permits, etc.).

Additional project costs may exist for some expeditions (i.e. SCUBA/snorkel equipment), so volunteers and/or Group Leaders should check with the Group Program Manager if they have any questions, and consult our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

The volunteer's contribution does not include airfare. However, Earthwatch does provide fare assistance by recommending travel agencies with discounted student and humanitarian travel rates. 

5. Tax Deductions

Volunteers and contributors to an Expedition Fund are subject to the tax laws of their individual country (and state, province, etc.), which vary widely. Volunteers and contributors should consult their local tax laws and/or tax attorneys or other qualified professionals for official tax advice. Earthwatch offers the following information as general guidelines only: 

(for US taxpayers) In the United States, Earthwatch Institute is a public charity described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is not a private foundation, as it is an organization described in Section 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(VI) of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, contributions of cash, securities and property donated by US citizens to support scientific research projects sponsored by Earthwatch Institute are tax-deductible.

Note: Contributions of cash or securities to a charitable organization are tax deductible only upon completion of giving. As such, your payment(s) toward an Earthwatch expedition may be tax deductible only after such payment(s) is non-refundable or, in other words, 45 days before your team start date (contribution is no longer refundable-see Cancellation, Exchange, and Refund Policies, below). Under certain circumstances, volunteers may deduct reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with their participation in an Earthwatch expedition, including some expenses for transportation to and from the research site. 

As with all tax matters, please consult your personal tax attorney or other tax professional about the tax implications of your Earthwatch expedition expenses.

6. Cancellation, Exchange, and Refund Policies

Cancellations and exchanges up to 120 days before the team start date:  

Cancellation: the initial deposit of $300 per participant will be retained by Earthwatch.            

Exchange: There is no fee to replace one participant with another. All forms are due 60 days before the team start date.   

Cancellations and exchanges up to 60 days before the team start date:  

Cancellation: the initial deposit of $300 AND 65% of the Contribution per individual are non-refundable.  

Exchange: If one volunteer cancels and is replaced, a processing fee of $300 will be retained by Earthwatch. Volunteer forms are due no later than 60 days before team start date.   

Cancellations and exchanges less than 60 days before the team start date:

Cancellation: All payments are non-refundable regardless of the circumstances.

Exchange: Replacements will be considered on a case by case basis and are subject to a $300 fee. Forms are due immediately. No replacements will be considered within 45 days of the team start date. 

How to Cancel

Volunteers (or parents/guardians if volunteer is under 18 years of age) must cancel their participation on the project in writing by letter or by a signed fax. Cancellations will not be accepted via phone or email.

The effective date of cancellation will be the postmark on the letter of notification or the date of receipt of the signed fax. Mail cancellations to: Earthwatch Institute, Group Program Manager, 3 Clock Tower Place, Maynard, MA 01754 or fax to 978-461-2332.

If you have purchased the additional cancellation insurance, please contact CSA directly (1800-348-9505) for specific coverage and reimbursement questions. 

Replacements and Refunds

If a volunteer cancels and provides a suitable replacement whose registration form and payment arrives in the same envelope as the cancellation notice, the cancelling volunteer will receive a refund in keeping with the exchange policy above--provided Earthwatch finds the replacement volunteer suitable. 

Note: Any funds retained due to late cancellation will support expedition field research and will be considered a charitable gift to Earthwatch Institute. 

If Earthwatch Cancels an Expedition

In the unlikely event that Earthwatch must cancel an expedition, volunteers' expedition contribution will be refunded in full. Earthwatch does not reimburse airfare or other personal travel expenses associated with a cancelled expedition. 

7. Travel Insurance

The volunteer contribution includes our mandatory emergency medical, dental and evacuation insurance as follows: 

Medical Expenses $50,000 
Emergency Medical Expenses $50,000 
Home Country Coverage $10,000 
Emergency Dental due to Injury or Pain $250 
Accidental Death, including disability $10,000 
Repatriation $10,000 
Emergency Reunion $3,000 

This insurance cannot be waived for any reason. In addition to this coverage, we recommend that group members purchase trip cancellation insurance. Group members are responsible for protecting themselves against airline and travel agency cancellation fees. Earthwatch suggests CSA Travel Protection for this coverage, which includes coverage for trip cancellations, flight delays, lost/stolen baggage, etc. Group rates are available for these policies. Please check with CSA directly at 1800-348-9505 and reference Earthwatch Institute. 

8. Departure and Arrival Requirements

Earthwatch expeditions have pre-arranged rendezvous and departure locations and times. Rendezvous and departure locations are normally at or near the airport or hotel closest to the research site. This rendezvous information will be communicated to the group leader when initial deposits are made.

Group flights must be arranged to arrive and depart in accordance with the designated location and time. Any deviations may result in additional fees or decreased field time.

Earthwatch recommends Fly for Good for booking discounted group flights.  Fly for Good has humanitarian discounts for groups participating in volunteer projects abroad.  The Earthwatch group contact at Fly for Good is Lynette Sproull, 800.599.2925 x7683.

9. Volunteer Safety and Risk Management Policies

Earthwatch has an international risk management provider that thoroughly reviews all project locations and volunteer activities for the safety and security of volunteers.

Should any problems occur in the field, all projects have an emergency response plan for the whole range of potential incidents and have established communication protocols with area health care facilities and with the Earthwatch office. Earthwatch has a staff member on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assist volunteers and field staff and to be available to relay emergency messages from home. The emergency contact number at Earthwatch headquarters in the US is +1.978.461.0081.

10. Removing a Volunteer from an Expedition

Earthwatch Institute reserves the right to refuse reservations on its projects. Such a refusal would typically, but not exclusively, be due either to an applicant's failure to meet the health and/or safety requirements of a particular project or in the interests of team compatibility.

Earthwatch Institute will support the right of the Principal Investigator (lead scientist on a project) and/or his or her appointed project manager(s) to remove volunteers from a project (or an aspect of a project) should their behavior compromise the safety, research objectives or general performance of the team.

Misrepresentation of one's qualifications in any way, including but not limited to age, health, intentions on the expedition, etc. will also be grounds for rejection of reservations or dismissal from project. In the case of deliberate misrepresentation volunteers will not be eligible for a refund.  

PLEASE NOTE: These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time, and each Earthwatch Institute office implements its own policies according to the laws of its country of residence, whether the US, the UK, Australia, or Japan.

REMEMBER: Earthwatch Institute projects are scientific research expeditions, not tours. Earthwatch Institute makes every effort to describe field conditions accurately in its publications, online, and verbally, but field work in remote locations is a delicate business and prone to last-minute changes. We accept this variability as part of what makes an Earthwatch Institute project a unique experience and encourage volunteers to embrace the role of the unexpected in scientific discovery.