Terms of Service

Effective Date: November 1, 2025

Welcome to the website of the Buckeye Trail Association (the “Organization,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This document constitutes a legally binding agreement (the “Agreement”) that governs your use of our website, including all content, features, and services offered (collectively, the “Site”).

By accessing or using the Site, you signify your unconditional acceptance of these Terms of Service. A thorough review of this document is advised. If you do not agree to these terms, you are not authorized to use this Site.

Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy, which details how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, is a separate document but is incorporated by reference into these Terms of Service. Please review our Privacy Policy to understand our practices.

Intellectual Property Rights & Use of Site Content

All content on this Site, including text, graphics, logos, images, audio clips, digital downloads, and data compilations, is the exclusive property of the Organization or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. The name [Buckeye Trail Association], our logo, and any other graphics or service names are trademarks of the Organization and may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not ours, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion, or in any manner that disparages or discredits the Organization.

You are granted a limited license to access and make personal, non-commercial use of this Site. You may not download, modify, reproduce, or resell any portion of the Site’s content without our express written consent.

Contributor terms for News

User-Generated Content (“UGC”)

Should you choose to submit, upload, or post any text, photographs, videos, or other materials (“User-Generated Content”) to the Site, including through interactive features like forums or photo galleries, you grant the Organization a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide license to utilize, reproduce, modify, publish, and create derivative works from such content in any media. This license supports our non-profit mission, allowing us to use community-submitted content for promotional, educational, and fundraising purposes. By submitting content, you represent and warrant that you own or control all rights to the content and that its use by the Organization will not infringe upon the rights of any third party.

By submitting content to the Buckeye Trail Association (BTA), you agree to the following:

Copyright & Permissions

  • You are the creator of the work, or you have permission from the copyright holder to share it.

  • You grant BTA a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to edit, publish, and distribute your submission across BTA platforms and to share with our partners (website, social media, newsletters, and print materials).

  • You retain ownership of your work and may use it elsewhere.

Editorial review

  • The BTA reserves the right to accept or decline any submission.

  • Submissions may be declined if they do not align with BTA’s mission and values, contain inaccuracies or inappropriate material, or require editing beyond our capacity.

  • All published content may be edited for clarity, length, and style.

Publication timing

  • Publication may be delayed due to submission volume and editorial calendar planning.

  • Time-sensitive items may be prioritized.

  • Evergreen stories (material that stays relevant for a long time) may be held for a later date to ensure balanced coverage.

  • Contributors may submit up to two posts per month; additional submissions may be scheduled for later publication.

  • Your story may be considered for inclusion into The Trailblazer.

Consent to Use of Name, Likeness, and Persona

You hereby grant the Organization the unrestricted, irrevocable right to use your name, voice, image, likeness, social media handle, and any other aspect of your persona that is included in or associated with your UGC. This means, for example, that we may use your social media handle when reposting your content or use your image from a submitted photograph in our marketing materials. You acknowledge that you will not be entitled to any compensation for such use and you waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product.

User Representations and Warranties

By submitting UGC, you represent and warrant that:

  • You are at least 18 years of age or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction and are fully competent to enter into this agreement.

  • You are the sole author and owner of all intellectual property rights in the UGC and have the full right, power, and authority to grant the rights and licenses set forth in this Agreement without the need for any additional permissions.

  • Your UGC does not infringe upon the copyright (e.g., by including music, photos, or videos made by someone else), trademark (e.g., by displaying logos), privacy, publicity, or other intellectual property or personal rights of any third party.

  • If any other identifiable persons appear in your UGC, you have obtained their express written consent to be included and to have their name and likeness used by the Company as described herein.

  • If any person depicted is a minor, you warrant that you are the parent or legal guardian and have the authority to provide this consent on their behalf.

  • Your UGC does not contain any content that is unlawful, fraudulent, defamatory, libelous, obscene, pornographic, threatening, abusive, or otherwise objectionable.

No Obligation to Use

You acknowledge and agree that the Organization has the absolute right, but not the obligation, to use, display, or publish your UGC. The Company may, in its sole discretion and without notice to you, remove or refuse to post any UGC at any time for any reason. The Company’s decisions regarding the use of UGC are final.

Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to use the Site for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these terms. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Posting or transmitting any content that is defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, or harassing;

  • Infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others;

  • Interfering with the operation of the Site through the use of viruses, spam, or any other malicious code;

  • Attempting to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site or its systems;

  • Using the Site for any commercial solicitation or purpose without our prior written consent.

Donations

All donations made through the Site are voluntary and non-refundable. We utilize a secure third-party payment processor to handle transactions. The Organization does not store your credit card information. If you have any questions about a donation, please contact us promptly.

Links to Third-Party Websites

The Site may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites.

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability

This Site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. The Organization makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of this site or the information, content, or materials included. This includes, without limitation, information related to trail conditions, water sources, or other data relevant to outdoor activities, which may be inaccurate or out of date.

To the fullest extent permissible by law, the Organization disclaims all warranties and will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this Site or from any information made available on this Site.

Account suspension and deletion

We reserve the right to suspend or delete your account at any time and without notice if we find it inappropriate, offensive, or in violation of these terms. Suspending or deleting accounts does not entitle you to claim for any compensation, damages, or reimbursement. The suspension or deletion of accounts due to causes attributable to you does not exempt you from paying any applicable fees or fines.

Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Organization, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of the Site or your violation of these terms.

In no event shall we, along with our subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, agents, partners, suppliers, or employees, be liable for any indirect, punitive, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages arising from or related to your use of, or inability to use, the service. This includes damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses, including but not limited to;

  • any damage, loss, or injury resulting from hacking, tampering, or unauthorized access to your account or the information within it;

  • errors, mistakes, or inaccuracies in the content provided; personal injury or property damage resulting from your use of the service;

  • unauthorized access to our secure servers or personal information stored therein;

  • interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the service; bugs, viruses, trojan horses, or similar harmful elements transmitted through the service;

  • errors or omissions in any content posted, transmitted, or made available through the service;

  • defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of any user or third party.

Governing Law and Venue

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Ohio. Any legal action or proceeding arising from this Agreement shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Franklin County, Ohio.

Changes to Terms of Service

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting the revised version on this Site. Your continued use of the Site after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.

Site Governance

The Buckeye Trail Association strives for transparency for all users, members, and visitors of the Buckeye Trail, Buckeye Trail Association, and buckeyetrail.org. With this transparency, we ensure accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and alignment to the Buckeye Trail Association mission, vision, values, and branding. The Buckeye Trail Association’s website, buckeyetrail.org, serves as the association’s primary official public platform.

Buckeyetrail.org is maintained by a select number of volunteers and staff positions. These positions include:

  • Volunteer News Editors: Submit edits through a documented and established workflow, not direct changes.

  • Content Owners (e.g., committee chairs, chapter leaders): Submit updates within their area(s) following a documented and established workflow

  • Website Administrator(s): Maintains the technical structure and functionality of buckeyetrail.org, including the scheduling of updates

  • Communications Team members: The Buckeye Trail Association Communications Team, under the leadership of the Director of Communications and Development (Staff), or Executive Director (Staff) in the event of the Director of Communications and Development not available, approves new content and structural changes.

Final decision authority on the information published through buckeyetrail.org rests with the BTA Director of Communications and Development, or the BTA Executive Director.

With this structure, website content changes and updates take a period of time based on the severity or complexity of the change. Content changes and updates are processed, managed, and implemented by Website Administrator(s) under staff leadership. Due to the nature of the work being managed by volunteers, changes and updates may take longer than expected in certain scenarios.

  • Routine Updates: Includes minor factual edits submitted through link to problem form. Typical time to implement is within 10 business days.

  • Moderate Updates: Changes that impact a section’s content or layout. Typical time to implement is within 30 business days.

  • Structural Changes: Adding/removing pages, redesigns, or navigational shifts. Typical time to implement changes is within 90 business days.

Buckeyetrail.org will undergo an annual review to ensure optimizations via updates and changes are consistent

Content changes and updates can be made to improve clarity, accessibility, or accuracy of content. These changes enhance user experience and must be in alignment with Buckeye Trail Association mission and values. Content changes and updates can not be made due to personal preferences or duplication of content.

Third-party content featured within the website is not available for implementation unless approved by final decision authority. Updates to approved third-party content may be requested by the third-party content provider. The Buckeye Trail Association has the right to refuse third-party content and content changes if these do not align with Buckeye Trail Association mission and values.

The Buckeye Trail Association utilizes data from various providers, including Google Analytics, to inform and support decision-making processes. These insights enable content prioritization for high-traffic content and sunset decisions for low-traffic content. These data-driven insights also allow the Buckeye Trail Association to identify user experience points of strength or areas for improvement within the website. These insights are reviewed at least once a month for minor changes and updates, with a deeper annual review to support structural changes.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, including site governance and privacy policies, please contact us by:

Information request form →

Email: info@buckeyetrail.org →

Phone: 740.394.2008
Mail:
Buckeye Trail Association
P.O. Box 5
Shawnee, Ohio 43782