CNS CoOp — Terms of Service & Membership
Last Updated: August 2026
These Terms of Service & Membership (“Terms”) govern your use of the Community Nature Station CoOp (“CNS CoOp,” “CNS,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) website, community platform, applications, events, memberships, marketplace, business services, and other products and services (“Services”).
By creating an account, purchasing a membership, registering for an event, or otherwise using CNS Services, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, Community Standards, and any additional terms that apply to a particular service or event.
1. CNS Services
CNS provides an online and in-person community designed to connect people through nature, culture, adventure, wellness, education, recreation, stewardship, travel, and community activities.
Our Services may include:
- Member profiles, groups, forums, messaging, and social networking
- Events, activities, classes, trips, and registrations
- Blogs, photos, videos, and other member-created content
- Business directories, marketplace listings, advertising, and promotions
- Membership programs and member benefits
- Gamification, rewards, and volunteer programs
- AI-powered tools and recommendations
- Outdoor, travel, weather, educational, and community resources
- Mobile applications and integrations with third-party services
We may add, modify, limit, suspend, or discontinue Services or features when necessary.
2. Privacy, Personalization & Advertising
CNS may use information about your account, activities, preferences, connections, and interactions to personalize your experience, recommend content, groups, events, businesses, or services, and improve our platform.
CNS may display advertising, sponsored content, offers, or business promotions.
CNS does not sell your personal information to advertisers. We do not provide advertisers with information that directly identifies you unless you authorize us to do so.
Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy.
3. Member Eligibility & Responsibilities
Members must provide accurate information and maintain the security of their accounts.
You agree to:
- Maintain only authorized accounts and not impersonate others.
- Keep your password and account information secure.
- Respect other members and the CNS community.
- Follow applicable laws, CNS policies, and Community Standards.
- Respect nature and responsible outdoor practices, including Leave No Trace principles where applicable.
- Respect intellectual property and privacy rights.
- Use CNS Services responsibly and in good faith.
You may not use CNS to engage in unlawful, fraudulent, threatening, discriminatory, abusive, misleading, or harmful conduct.
You may not distribute malicious software, interfere with CNS systems, gain unauthorized access to accounts or data, or collect CNS data through unauthorized automated methods.
CNS may remove content, restrict features, suspend accounts, or terminate memberships when these Terms or applicable policies are violated.
4. Member Content & Intellectual Property
You retain ownership of content you create and post on CNS, including photographs, videos, articles, comments, and other original materials.
By posting content on CNS, you grant CNS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, distribute, format, and otherwise use that content as reasonably necessary to operate, promote, and improve CNS Services.
This license generally ends when your content is deleted, except where copies must temporarily remain for technical, legal, security, backup, or other legitimate operational purposes, or where content has already been shared or used by others according to your permissions.
You are responsible for ensuring that content you post does not violate another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights.
CNS retains ownership of its trademarks, branding, software, designs, original content, and other intellectual property.
5. Accounts & Communications
You are responsible for activity conducted through your account and must notify CNS if you believe your account has been compromised.
By providing your email address, phone number, or other contact information, you authorize CNS to send communications related to your account, membership, transactions, events, safety, and Services, subject to applicable law and your communication preferences.
You are responsible for maintaining current contact information and reviewing important CNS communications.
6. Membership Plans
CNS may offer free and paid Membership Plans with different benefits, eligibility requirements, durations, and fees.
Current membership pricing, benefits, renewal periods, and applicable conditions will be presented when you join or purchase a Membership Plan.
Where automatic renewal applies, your membership may renew at the applicable rate until canceled according to the cancellation terms presented with your Membership Plan.
You are responsible for maintaining a valid payment method.
CNS may modify Membership Plans, benefits, eligibility requirements, or pricing, subject to applicable law.
CNS may suspend or terminate membership for fraud, misuse, serious or repeated violations of these Terms, or conduct materially harmful to CNS or its community.
7. Payments, Cancellations & Refunds
Unless otherwise stated:
- Prices are in U.S. dollars.
- Applicable taxes and third-party transaction fees are the member’s responsibility.
- You authorize CNS and its payment providers to process charges associated with purchases and memberships you authorize.
- Membership cancellations generally become effective at the end of the current paid membership period.
- Paid membership fees are generally non-refundable once the applicable membership period begins, except where required by law or expressly stated otherwise.
Different cancellation or refund rules may apply to particular events, activities, products, services, or Membership Plans. Those specific terms will control where applicable.
8. Products, Shipping & Returns
Products offered through CNS may be produced or fulfilled by third-party providers.
Made-to-order or personalized products may not be eligible for returns or exchanges except when defective, damaged, incorrectly produced, or otherwise required by law.
Claims concerning damaged, defective, misprinted, or lost products must be submitted within the time stated in the applicable product or fulfillment policy.
Products purchased through third-party or affiliate websites are subject to that provider’s return, shipping, and refund policies.
9. Events & Outdoor Activities — Assumption of Risk
CNS events may include hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing, mountaineering, skiing, snowshoeing, cycling, paddling, travel, educational programs, stewardship activities, and other recreational or outdoor activities.
Outdoor and recreational activities involve inherent risks that cannot be eliminated.
Risks may include, among others:
- Falls, injuries, illness, or death
- Severe or rapidly changing weather
- Difficult terrain, water, snow, ice, rock, or altitude
- Avalanches, rockfall, falling trees, wildfire, or other natural hazards
- Wildlife, insects, poisonous plants, and environmental hazards
- Equipment malfunction or improper equipment use
- Vehicle or transportation accidents
- Navigation errors or becoming lost
- Delayed emergency response or medical care
- Actions, mistakes, negligence, or poor judgment by participants, volunteers, leaders, or third parties
By participating, you acknowledge these risks and voluntarily accept responsibility for your participation.
You are responsible for determining whether an activity is appropriate for your abilities, experience, health, fitness, equipment, and comfort with risk.
10. Event Leaders & Volunteers
Many CNS activities may be organized or facilitated by volunteer members, event organizers, ambassadors, or community partners.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, volunteer organizers are not CNS employees or professional guides.
Participants remain responsible for their own decisions, preparation, equipment, transportation, health, safety, and conduct.
CNS does not own or control many locations where activities occur and cannot guarantee trail, road, weather, facility, transportation, or environmental conditions.
11. Release of Liability & Indemnification
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, by voluntarily participating in a CNS activity, you acknowledge and assume the inherent and other risks associated with that activity.
You agree to release and hold harmless CNS CoOp and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, event organizers, ambassadors, representatives, contractors, and agents from claims arising from your participation, except where such release is prohibited by law.
To the extent permitted by law, this release may include claims arising from ordinary negligence, but does not apply where liability cannot legally be waived, including where applicable for gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or intentional misconduct.
You also agree to be responsible for claims, damages, or expenses resulting from your own unlawful, negligent, or wrongful conduct.
12. Emergency Medical Care
If an emergency occurs during a CNS activity and you are unable to make decisions for yourself, you authorize event organizers, volunteers, emergency responders, or medical personnel to seek reasonably necessary emergency assistance or transportation on your behalf.
You remain responsible for medical treatment, evacuation, transportation, rescue, or related expenses unless otherwise required by law.
CNS cannot guarantee the availability or timing of rescue, medical assistance, cellular service, satellite communication, or emergency transportation.
13. Photos, Video & Media
CNS events may be photographed or recorded.
Where permitted by law and subject to applicable CNS policies and notices, photographs, video, or other media from CNS activities may be used for community, educational, informational, or promotional purposes.
Participants should notify CNS or the event organizer when they have privacy concerns regarding photography or recording.
14. Mobile Applications & Third-Party Services
CNS may provide mobile applications or integrate with third-party platforms and services.
Your use of third-party services may also be governed by their own terms and privacy policies.
CNS does not control and is not responsible for the availability, content, security, pricing, policies, or performance of independent third-party services.
Mobile applications may receive updates automatically where supported by your device and settings.
15. Promotions
Contests, raffles, sweepstakes, surveys, games, giveaways, and similar promotions may have additional rules.
When promotion-specific rules conflict with these general Terms, the specific promotion rules will govern that promotion.
16. Service Availability
CNS does not guarantee that its website, applications, events, or Services will always be available, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
Services are provided “as is” and “as available” to the extent permitted by law.
CNS may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue Services or accounts when reasonably necessary for security, maintenance, legal compliance, community protection, or operational reasons.
17. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, CNS is not responsible for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, revenue, information, or data resulting from use of CNS Services.
CNS is not responsible for the independent actions, statements, content, products, services, or conduct of members, event participants, businesses, advertisers, volunteers, or other third parties.
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.
18. Suspension & Termination
CNS may restrict, suspend, or terminate an account or membership when a user:
- Seriously or repeatedly violates these Terms or Community Standards;
- Engages in fraud, abuse, harassment, or harmful conduct;
- Infringes intellectual property rights;
- Creates safety or security risks;
- Misuses CNS systems or Services; or
- Must be restricted to comply with applicable law.
Members may discontinue use of CNS or request account deletion according to CNS account procedures.
Certain provisions—including intellectual property, payment obligations, releases, liability limitations, and dispute-related provisions—may survive termination where legally appropriate.
19. Changes to These Terms
CNS may update these Terms as our community, technology, Services, or legal obligations change.
When material changes are made, CNS will provide notice when required by law or reasonably appropriate.
Continued use of CNS Services after updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
20. General Terms
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Community Standards, applicable membership terms, event waivers, and other supplemental policies, form the agreement between you and CNS regarding your use of the Services.
If a specific service, membership, event, or promotion has additional terms, those terms will govern that service where they conflict with these general Terms.
If any provision is determined to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.
Failure by CNS to enforce a provision does not waive its right to enforce that provision later.
21. Acceptance
By creating a CNS account, purchasing or renewing a membership, registering for an event, or continuing to use CNS Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and applicable CNS policies.
For outdoor or higher-risk activities, CNS may require a separate Event Liability Waiver, Assumption of Risk Agreement, or activity-specific acknowledgment before participation.