Official RNA Registration: W252002765
SIREN: 850245952
Prefectural Approval: Intercommunal Non-Profit Association
Legal Transparency Register
Public Access Charter • Mutual Countryside Respect

Terms of Use & Community Guidelines

Rules governing digital portal access, shared countryside trail safety etiquette, non-commercial service declarations, and rural land user responsibilities across Etupes and Taillecourt.

1. Acceptance of Terms & Scope of Application

Welcome to the digital civic portal of the ASSOCIATION INTERCOMMUNALE DE CHASSE AGREEE ETUPES TAILLECOURT FUSION (RNA: W252002765, SIREN: 850245952). By accessing or consulting this website, reading our educational resources, or submitting inquiries through our digital forms, you unconditionally accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.

These terms govern both your interaction with our online information repository and your civic engagement with our association on the ground throughout the communal boundaries of Etupes and Taillecourt.

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Declaration of Non-Commerciality & Public Utility

All membership dues, public grants, and civic subsidies are fully reinvested into the association's public interest missions and community programs. The association operates with absolute commercial neutrality: there are no commercial products, paid services, checkout processes, or pricing packages.

2. Digital Services & Information Accuracy

Our digital platform is created to provide public transparency regarding wildlife censuses, agricultural crop protection, forestry regeneration, and countryside safety schedules:

  • Free Public Access: All informational articles, downloadable nature guides, calendars, and legal notices are accessible without mandatory fees, paywalls, or digital subscriptions.
  • No Commercial Solicitations: This portal does not engage in e-commerce, third-party banner advertising, commercial lead generation, or monetization of user traffic.
  • Informational Nature of Schedules: While seasonal schedules and safety zones are updated with diligence, field operations may be adjusted without notice due to severe weather alerts, municipal emergency orders, or urgent agricultural protection interventions. Always consult on-site trailhead signage.

3. Community Guidelines for Shared Countryside Spaces

The rural landscape connecting Etupes and Taillecourt is a shared common heritage enjoyed by farmers, foresters, ramblers, mushroom foragers, mountain cyclists, and wildlife managers. To preserve harmony and mutual safety, all countryside users are requested to observe our Community Field Charter:

A. Trail Courtesy & Spatial Awareness

  • Respect Posted Safety Notices: When temporary high-visibility orange signs stating "Chasse en Cours – Attention" are erected at trailhead junctions, exercise situational awareness. Stay on designated primary trails and avoid straying into dense underbrush.
  • Pet Control Mandate: In accordance with French rural law (Article L.428-9 of the Environmental Code) and to protect ground-nesting birds, deer fawns, and domestic animals, dogs must be kept under close voice control or on a leash when walking near forest edges, particularly between April 15 and June 30.
  • Trail Sharing Etiquette: Cyclists and horse riders should yield to pedestrians. When encountering wildlife stewards or volunteer work crews, a courteous greeting and brief inquiry about active paths ensures a safe, pleasant outing for all.

B. Protection of Agricultural Fields & Private Crops

  • Avoid Trampling Cultivated Crops: Do not walk, cycle, or ride through unharvested cereal, corn, or legume fields. Stick to established field margins and tractor access paths.
  • Leave Agricultural Gates as Found: If a pasture gate is closed to contain livestock, close it securely behind you. Do not tamper with temporary solar electric fencing installed to protect crops from wild boar.
  • Litter & Fly-Tipping Prohibition: Pack out all waste, including fruit peels and biodegradable wrappings. Litter poses deadly choking hazards to domestic cattle and wild ungulates.

C. Respect for Wildlife & Fragile Biotopes

  • Quiet Observational Conduct: Minimize excessive noise, amplified music, or shouts when traversing deep forest tracts, especially during spring birthing and nesting periods.
  • Prohibition of Unauthorized Winter Feeding: Feeding wild boars or deer is strictly forbidden by prefectural decree in the Doubs department. Artificial feeding unnaturally concentrates sounders, exacerbates crop damage, and promotes the spread of epizootic diseases.
  • Sustainable Foraging: When gathering edible wild mushrooms, chestnuts, or berries, adhere to municipal quantity limits (typically capped at one basket per person per day) and never use rakes that destroy fungal mycelium.

4. Member Obligations & Internal Disciplinary Rules

Members of the Association Intercommunale de Chasse Agréée Etupes Taillecourt Fusion are bound by our prefecturally approved Internal Regulations (Règlement Intérieur):

  1. Mandatory Safety Angle: Every member must observe the 30-degree ground-bound firing arc doctrine. Discharging a firearm in the direction of roads, residences, marked walking trails, or vehicles results in immediate, permanent revocation of association membership.
  2. Zero Tolerance for Substance Impairment: The consumption or influence of alcohol or narcotics during any field operation is strictly prohibited and subject to immediate expulsion and reporting to the Doubs gendarmerie.
  3. Mandatory Fluorescent Orange: Fluorescent orange vests and caps must be worn by all active participants during collective drives.
  4. Civic Representation: Members must act as courteous ambassadors of the association, offering navigational help and safety explanations to any hiker encountered.

5. Limitation of Warranties & Outdoor Risk Assumption

Traversing natural rural environments entails inherent natural risks, including uneven terrain, slippery rocks, falling tree branches during storms, stinging insects, and seasonal tick exposure. The Association Intercommunale de Chasse Agréée Etupes Taillecourt Fusion does not warrant that communal trails are free of natural hazards.

Visitors to the countryside are responsible for their own footwear, hydration, weather monitoring, and personal physical fitness. The association assumes no liability for injuries, falls, or property damage sustained while traversing communal trails outside the scope of certified gross negligence by association agents.

6. Modifications to Terms

The association reserves the right to amend these Terms of Use to reflect legislative evolutions in French environmental law, municipal safety decrees, or institutional bylaw updates. Continued use of this website following any amendments constitutes full acceptance of the revised terms.

7. Governing Jurisdiction

These Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the French Republic. Any dispute arising out of or related to these terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent civil courts of Montbéliard, Doubs.