Educational Fee Waivers. Please read carefully
Educational waivers will be provided in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations Title 36: if the request is from "organized tours or outings conducted for educational or scientific purposes related to the resources of the area visited by bona fide institutions established for these purposes. Applicants will be required to provide documentation of their official recognition as educational or scientific institutions by Federal, State, or local government bodies and will also be required to provide a statement as to the purpose of the visit proposed. The use of any recreation facilities for which a fee waiver is requested must relate directly to scientific or educational purposes of the visit and may not be primarily for recreational purposes." Service Organizations such as Scouts do not qualify for a fee waiver.
Fee Waiver Information
National Park Service regulations allow school groups and other approved national and international academic institutions to obtain a waiver of park entrance fees, provided the visit is for educational or scientific purposes, and the resources or facilities that the group intends to use support those purposes.
Academic fee waivers are not granted automatically. Applicant groups must demonstrate that they qualify for the waiver. There are three requirements (listed below) that the group must meet to qualify for an academic fee waiver: eligibility, educational purpose, and relevancy of park resources or facilities.
Requirement #1 - Educational Purpose
Applicants must provide a written statement confirming that the visit supports a specific curriculum for which academic credit is offered. If the group is on a commercial tour, the applicant must state how the tour supports the curriculum.
Requirement #2 - Relevance of Park Resources
Applicants must provide a written explanation identifying the park resources and/or facilities that will be used to support the educational purpose of the visit, and how they are relevant to that purpose.
Requirement #3 - Eligibility
Applicants must prove they are an academic or scientific institution by presenting one of the following types of documentation:
- A statement confirming educational or scientific tax exemption from the IRS or the applicant's national, state, or local tax authority;or
- A statement from an academic institution that meets one of these eligibility standards confirming that the group is visiting for the purpose of providing transferable academic credit based on a curriculum;or,
- A statement confirming accreditation or recognition as an educational institution from a qualified national, regional, state, or local authority.
If your group does not meet the requirements for the fee waiver, you may still visit Capulin and pay the $20 per vehicle entrance fee. Also, all America the Beautiful passes are honored at Capulin. Private Ranger programs cannot be offered to non educational groups, but your group is more than welcome to join any public program offered on the day of your visit.
How to Apply
To apply for an Educational Fee Waiver please download and fill out the form below, fill out electronically, and e-mail back to us as an attachment to: cavo_interpretation@nps.gov Any form printed and filled out or mailed in will not be considered. Dates are reserved on a first come, first served basis.
Fill out sections 1, 2, and 5 for an educational visit to the park. Other visits, virtual or in classroom, please contact via e-mail for information.
Section 1: All fields must be entered. For the special accommodation question, this is if the NPS needs to provide accommodations, not if your school is providing.
Section 2: We will try to provide a program on the day of your visit if requested, but we must take into consideration staffing needs for the park. We also require a 1:5 ration for chaperone to students for Elementary, 1:10 for Jr High and Highschool, and 1:15 for college.
Section 5: Please fill out with the requirements above in mind. Separate documents can be submitted. You do not need to "sign", just the responsible party's name is fine.
The park staff require that all fee waivers be submitted no later than 2 weeks before intended visit.
You will receive back clarifying questions, or a letter of acceptance within a few days.
Capulin Volcano Educational Fee Waiver Request Form
Additional Conditions
All organizations planning to visit Capulin Volcano must agree to the following conditions:
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Collection of specimens (including materials) - No park resources may be collected. All collected park resources remain federal property, regardless of where the resources reside, who discovered or collected them, or who assumes responsibility for their care, and removal of any resources from federal land without an active permit constitutes theft of federal property.
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Ground disturbance – No ground disturbance is allowed in the park and the use of rock hammers and other tools is prohibited.
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Access to park and restricted areas - Travel within the park is restricted to only those methods that are available to the general public unless otherwise specified in additional stipulations associated with this waiver. Use of roads not open to the public and entry into closed areas require special permission on a case by case basis. Approval for any activity is contingent on the park being open and staffed for required operations. No entry into restricted areas is allowed unless authorized in additional park specific stipulations attached to this waiver.
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Driving Volcano Road – Vehicles that exceed 26 ft. in length cannot travel the Volcano Road. Busses included. Driving the Volcano Road without permission from park employees is prohibited. Capulin Volcano is a NO IDLE par. Vehicles within the park are not allowed to idle for more than 5 minutes. Trailers of any size are prohibited from traveling on the Volcano Road.
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Arrival times and Scheduling – If a group cannot arrive at scheduled time, the group forfeits their program time, and entry to the top of Capulin Volcano is no longer guaranteed.
