Policies - Wanderbirds Hiking Club

To enable our members to safely ride the bus and hike together while spread of COVID is still a concern, the Wanderbirds Hiking Club has adopted the following new policies. These are intended to comply with national and local COVID recommendations to minimize the risk of COVID exposure for all participants. We want our participants to feel comfortable with each other and to feel confident they won't inadvertently be taking COVID home with them.

Please note our volunteers are working hard to keep records up-to-date, but it may take as long as two weeks after you submit your Health and Liability Waiver Agreement, to be notified that you are on the hike "eligibility list." You will receive an email confirmation at that time.

New Policies

All participants in Club-sponsored hikes:

Must complete the Wanderbirds Health and Liability Waiver Agreement,
Please take the time to follow this link: H&L Waiver Agreement, and read through the form to be sure you can agree to its terms.
If you have any questions about the H&L Waiver Agreement form, contact the Wanderbirds Health Coordinators (HC's) by email: Health@wanderbirds.org.
It is necessary to complete this step only once. (But if it's been a long while since you submitted the form, it might be useful to read through it again just to remind yourself of the terms.) Please do not make multiple submissions of the H&L Waiver Agreement. If you later realize that you need to change an entry, contact the HC's by email.
Are advised to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with at least one booster.
Wanderbirds no longer requires that hikers be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, although scientific data show that being up to date with COVID-19 vaccination protects people from severe illness and reduces the chances of getting long COVID.
Must wear an approved face mask while on the bus.
Properly fitting N95, KN95, KF94 or surgical procedure masks are required. Cloth masks are NOT acceptable. Hikers must wear a face mask before boarding and while on the bus (for drinking or eating, masks may be briefly lowered to take a sip or bite, then replaced until the next sip or bite.)
In addition to being a Wanderbirds policy, this is a requirement of our contract with the bus company. Hikers who do not comply with mask requirements will be inelligible to ride the bus in the future.
Hikers who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or
have symptoms that could be due to COVID-19 or
have a household member that tested positive in the prior 10 days
must cancel their hike participation.
Hikers will not owe any no-show fees when cancellation is due to COVID-19 precautions.
Participants in Wanderbirds activities are expected to contact a hike leader
or club Health Coordinator if they develop symptoms within 2 days after
the hike (or social event) and then get diagnosed with COVID-19.
We will make every effort to keep your identity confidential, at your request, if you come down with COVID-19.

Our current advice and requirements concerning COVID can be summarized as: 'Get vaccinated to protect yourself -- to protect others (as well as yourself), wear a mask in enclosed spaces, isolate if you might have been exposed, and notify if symptoms later appear.'

Once the first requirement has been met, the hiker is added to the list of those "eligible to participate" in Club-sponsored bus transportation and hikes. Note that even non-members must meet this requirement. Please allow up to two weeks for your name to be added to the list. You will receive an email confirmation when your name is added.
If you're unsure of your current status, you can use the Wanderbirds Membership Status tool to check.

Another new policy, adopted because our costs for chartering a tour bus have risen significantly, is that the standard bus fare for a hike is now $30 for members and $35 for non-members. For further explanation of our rules and policies concerning hikes, please see our Rules and Regulations page.