General Use Policies

CBFS river 1 

General Rules

  • Students, researchers, groups, classes, and visitors must check in with the manager when they enter the property. You can do this by sending a text message to 903.574.4039.
  • If you will need logistical support, please call in advance, same number.
  • All persons who attend CBFS are entitled to the right to focus on their science and their outdoor experience. No amount or sexual harassment or hazing by anyone will be tolerated. Victims and witnesses of such acts are encouraged to report the transgressions to the station manager or to appropriate parties on campus.
  • All forms of hunting, fishing, and commercial trapping are prohibited.
  • Vehicles must stay on maintained roads and must park in designated parking areas.
  • Introductions of plant or animal species is not permitted unless it is a preapproved part of permitted research.
  • No pets.
  • No fires without permission.
  • There is no personal storage on site.  Research equipment that does not belong to CBFS must have a weather proof tag with the owners name and contact info, date placed in storage and intended removal date.  After one year in storage without use, the items may be removed without notice.
  • No shooting of firearms.
  • Do not disturb other people’s research.
  • Speed limit is 15 mph, wildlife has the right of way.
  • Do not kill snakes.
  • Do not paint on trees.
  • Do not litter, take your trash home with you.

Arranging Access and Logistical Support

The field station is intended to be available for researchers, college educators and students, and participants of outreach programs. CBFS is obligated to protect research sites and equipment, and to insure the safety and success of all visitors. In order to insure this we must know who is on the property and what they are doing at all times. We ask all of our clients to help maintain an open line of communication, and to keep us informed of your intentions and actions.  For convenience there are simple forms to fill out to reserve time and space at CBFS, please select the correct form.

Gate Codes

You will need a five digit gate code to enter the property. These are issued from the CBFS office when a program is scheduled and are intended to expire with the completion of a scheduled activity, e.g. the duration of a research project, a semester of field labs, of a one day outreach program. If you register for a subsequent activity, i.e. another semester of labs, you will be issued a new gate code for that program. The gate operator records each time a code is used. This is one tool we use to monitor how the field station is being used.  Therefore, we ask that you do not share codes outside of the program they were assigned to. Notice: On or about March 15, 2016, all gate codes will be reset. You will no longer be able to gain access with 55555 or by pushing the button on the side of the control box. Please submit the proper forms for your program needs and you will be issued a current Gate Code.

Collecting Specimens

In order to manage our biotic resources in a sustainable fashion, insuring minimum viable "populations" we must monitor the harvest. Many taxon living at CBFS are abundant and ideal for instruction and research that requires the taking of specimens. Some species are scarce and must be protected and there are some that we just do not know enough about. Currently we are trying to gain a better understanding of which is which. We ask that no one collects without registering their intent and obtaining a collecting permit from the CBFS office. It does not cost anything, it is simply a way for us to gather data. We will want to know what you want to collect, when, where and how. We will ask you to report what you take and what you do with it.

Traps and other equipment may not be positioned without checking to see if the site you have selected is not in conflict with other research or deemed ecologically sensitive. All traps must be reported on the Collecting Permit Application. All traps and equipment (including flagging) left in the field for more than 24 hours must have a weather proof tag stating the owner, contact info, date deployed and date to be retrieved. Any trap or equipment (including flagging) not so labeled will be removed and disposed of. Leaving traps and equipment in the field beyond planed retrieval date without an extension of the permit may result in a loss of collecting privileges.

Tearing up logs, stumps, and piles of bark and debris, or other forms of habitat destruction for the purpose of collecting or observing specimens is prohibited.