Oregon High Desert Grotto
Effective Date: August 14, 2025
Updated by Jeff Taylor – August 14, 2025
The Oregon High Desert Grotto (“we,” “our,” or “the Grotto”) is a nonprofit caving club based in Bend, Oregon and a local chapter of the National Speleological Society (NSS). We are committed to protecting the privacy of our members, visitors, and website users. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your personal data.
1. Who We Are
Website: https://ohdgrotto.caves.org
Website Admin: Jeff Taylor (Bend, Oregon)
Chairman: Neil Marchington (Bend, Oregon)
Contact: Please use our website contact form for any privacy-related questions.
2. Information We Collect
a. Information You Provide Directly
- Contact form submissions (name, email, and any message you send us).
- Comments on our website (name, email, comment text, IP address, and browser user agent for spam detection).
- Liability waivers (name, signature, and date, collected in person for certain activities; these are stored securely and not shared except as required for legal or safety purposes).
- Payments via PayPal (we do not store your payment card details; PayPal’s privacy policy applies).
- Membership information (we do not maintain a digital membership database; paper records may be kept for administrative purposes).
b. Information Collected Automatically
- Cookies for login sessions, comment convenience, and website functionality.
- Google Analytics data, which may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site (used to understand website usage and improve content).
3. How We Use Your Information
- Respond to inquiries sent via our contact form.
- Coordinate club activities, meetings, and trips.
- Maintain required liability and safety records.
- Process payments for dues, donations, or event fees via PayPal.
- Improve our website through analytics.
- Send newsletters or updates (if you opt in when this service becomes available).
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
4. Cookies
- Save your comment details for convenience.
- Maintain login sessions for registered users.
- Store display preferences.
- Support analytics and embedded content from other sites.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some site features may not work properly.
5. Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles or pages on our site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, maps, or images). Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other website directly and may collect data about you according to that site’s privacy policy.
6. Data Sharing
We may share your information only in the following cases:
- With PayPal for payment processing.
- With our web hosting provider (the National Speleological Society) for site operation.
- With service providers such as Google Analytics for usage tracking.
- If required by law, safety concerns, or liability protection.
7. Data Retention
- Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely unless deleted by you or an administrator.
- Contact form submissions are kept only as long as needed to respond to your inquiry.
- Liability waivers are retained for as long as necessary to meet legal and safety requirements.
- Google Analytics data is retained according to Google’s policies.
8. Your Rights
You may request to:
- Receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Request correction or deletion of your personal data (except where we must retain it for legal reasons).
To make a request, please use our website contact form.
9. Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. Family memberships are recorded under the primary member’s information only.
10. Security
We use HTTPS encryption and limit access to personal data to authorized club volunteers. While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, no system is completely secure.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Effective Date” at the top will be updated when changes are made.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us through our website contact form.