Terms of Use

Who can use the site

• You must be at least 13 years old to create an account.
• Register as yourself, under your real name. Accounts that impersonate another person or misrepresent who you are will be removed.
• Keep your account information accurate and your password to yourself. You are responsible for what happens under your account, so tell us through the contact page if you think someone else has access to it.

Accounts and membership are different things

Creating an account is free and lets you see public trips and events. Club membership is separate: it requires dues, is governed by the club's own rules, and unlocks member-only trips, tools, and content. Dues payments are processed by PayPal under PayPal's own terms; we never see or store your card number. Membership terms, pricing, and renewal are described when you join and may change by decision of the club.

Trips, events, and gear

This site is a coordination tool. Signing up for a trip or event reserves your spot subject to capacity, waitlists, and the trip leader's decisions — it is not a guarantee the activity will run as listed.

• These terms govern the website, not the caving. Participation in club activities is governed by separate written waivers and any required permits. Caving carries real risk; nothing on this site is a substitute for those documents, proper training, or your own judgment.
• Provide honest, current signup information — especially emergency contacts. Trip leaders rely on it when something goes wrong underground.
• Rented club gear remains club property and is subject to the club's gear policies, including returning it on time and in usable condition.

Other people's information

Parts of the site ask you to enter information about other people — emergency contacts, or guests you bring on a trip. Only submit someone else's information if you have their permission, and only for trip coordination and safety. We treat it with the same care as yours.

Your content

• What you post — trip reports, photos, comments, profile posts — stays yours.
• By posting, you give the Grotto permission to host and display that content on the site, within the audience the feature is scoped to (for example, album photos are visible to that trip's participants, and members-only posts to members). We do not sell your content or use it outside the site without asking you.
• Only post what you have the right to post. If a photo shows another member in a way they object to, we may remove it on their request.
• You can delete your own content; moderators can too (see moderation below).

Cave locations are sensitive

Publicly posted cave locations lead to vandalized formations, injured visitors, closed landowner relationships, and disturbed bat habitat. This is hard-won experience across the caving community, and protecting caves is central to why the Grotto exists.

• Do not post precise cave locations, coordinates, or turn-by-turn directions in any publicly visible area of the site.
• Share sensitive location details through trip planning and member channels, the way you would within the grotto — not with the public.
• Respect landowner permissions, gates, and seasonal closures without exception.
• We follow the NSS Conservation Policy. Cave damage is also a crime under Tennessee's cave protection laws (Tenn. Code Ann. Title 11, Chapter 5) and the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act.
• We may edit or remove content that exposes a sensitive location, even when it breaks no other rule.

Acceptable use

Do not use the site to:

• Impersonate any person or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or organization.
• Harass, threaten, or target other members.
• Probe, overload, or interfere with the site's security or operation, or access data and areas your role does not grant you.
• Scrape or bulk-collect member information or content.
• Post spam, commercial solicitations, or anything unlawful.

Privacy and your information

We collect what the club needs to coordinate trips safely and run membership, and not much else:

• Account and profile details — name, email, phone, date of birth, emergency contact — used for trip coordination, safety, waiver eligibility, and club communication.
• Trip and event records: signups, guests, gear rentals, RSVPs, and the content you post.
• Aggregate visit counts used to understand site usage; these are not tied to your identity.
• Payments are handled by PayPal; we keep membership payment records but never your card details.

We send email to verify your address, reset your password, confirm signups and RSVPs, remind you about membership renewal, and occasionally announce significant club or site news. We do not sell your information, share it with advertisers, or run third-party ads. Member contact details are visible on the site only per its visibility rules — members-only content stays members-only. To request a copy or deletion of your account data, use the contact page; we may retain records we need for payment history, safety, or legal reasons.

Moderation, suspension, and closing accounts

• Moderators and admins may remove content or restrict features to enforce these terms and the club's policies.
• Accounts may be suspended or terminated for violating these terms. A suspended account sees a notice explaining the suspension and can submit an appeal from that page.
• You can stop using the site at any time, and can request account deletion through the contact page.

The site is provided as-is

The Grotto is run by volunteers. We work to keep the site accurate and available, but we provide it "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied. Trip listings, schedules, and other information can change or contain mistakes — confirm the details that matter with the trip leader. Links to other sites are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their content.

Limits on liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Grotto and its officers, directors, and volunteers are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the website, and our total liability for claims relating to the website is limited to the greater of fifty dollars or the amount you paid the club in the twelve months before the claim. This section is about the website: responsibility connected to participating in caving activities is addressed by the separate written waivers, not these terms. If you misuse the site or post content that causes a legal claim against the Grotto, you agree to cover the reasonable costs of defending that claim.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the site and club evolve. The version and effective date at the top will change when we do, and for material changes we will give notice on the site or by email before they take effect. Using the site after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms.

The legal footing

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, and disputes belong in the state or federal courts serving Hamilton County, Tennessee. If a part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still applies. These terms, together with the policies they reference, are the whole agreement about your use of the site. Questions? Use the contact page.