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Q. Can we collect wood and build our own individual campfires at the campouts?
A. Generally, no. Most camps prohibit us from collecting wood and building individual campfires. Grills are also typically prohibited. Please check the rules of each camp, prior to bringing grills or firewood. The camp specific rules are included in the camp activity schedule we will post prior to the camp
When conditions allow, Katori Nation will have a campfire at each camp on Saturday nights. Campers are strongly encouraged to use the central campfire for marshmallow roasts and campfire discussions.
Q. If I get to camp and I have problems with the cabin arrangement/assignment, who do I speak with? Where do I issue complaints to fix problems at the camp.
A. Each campout has a Nation Chief and a Boys Chief and a Girls Chief. Please raise any issues you have with the camp facilities or the personnel at the camp with one of those chief or any officer for Katori Nation. They will work things out with the camp.
We can't fix problems if we don't know about them and past members efforts to "fix it" have often resulted in negative consequences for someone else. Do not complain directly to the staff of the camp! We work hard to build our camp options and relationships over the years and one poorly handled complaint could result in future campers being denied the opportunity to use that camp's facilities.
Camp Registration and Payment
Q. What do I need to do to secure a spot at one of the Katori Nation Campouts?
A. Securing space for you and your children is a three step process: Reservation, Confirmation, and Payment. The first step is to have the Chief of your tribe go on-line during the reservation period and request space for you and the others who want to attend. The Chief will receive an automated acklowlegement from the webmaster stating that your tribe's reservation request was successfully submitted. The second step involves a Confirmation from the War Chief organizing the camp. If there's space in the camp for your tribe, your Chief will be e-mailed a confirmation which will instruct the tribe members to proceed to the online payment system. Once confirmed, each individual must go on-line during the tribe's designated payment window (only a few days) and pay for the future campout. If you don't pay during the open payment period, your confirmed space will be given to those tribes On-Deck.
Q. What exactly does On-deck mean and how is it used?
A. On-deck is essentially the waiting list for space to become available for a camp. Once the War Chief closes the first period of payment, any remaining space in the camp will be offered for payment to those "On-deck" in the order their reservation was received. The process continues down through the on-deck list for days to weeks until all available space at the camp has either been paid for or all of the tribes have been offered an opportunity to pay and the camp is still below capacity.
Q. Why doesn't our tribe name show up on the on-line payment menu? After all we received an e-mail telling us we successfully registered for camp?
A. Registration is only your tribe's request to attend a camp and the organizers do not limit the number of people who register for camp. Successful registration by a Chief does not mean your tribe has a guaranteed or confirmed spot. Because the actual number of camp spaces is limited, only those tribes we believe we can accommodate at camp will be allowed to pay via the online payment system.
Q. How will I know when I'm actually confirmed and can access the on-line payment system?
A. The War Chief will notify the Webmaster, Chief and the Assistant Chief of the tribes who are confirmed. It is the Chief's responsibility to notify each member of their tribe that they must go on-line and pay for their reserved spots at camp. If both the Chief and the Assistant Chief know they will be unavailable to notify members of their open payment period, they should notify the War Chief. Tribes who registered but did receive approval to pay (confirmation), will be listed as "On-Deck".
The date that the Confirmations will be posted and the date the 1st payment period ends are published on the Katori website.
Q. Once confirmed for payment, isn't my spot at the camp reserved until the camp starts?
A. No. The only way to keep your space confirmed is to pay when your tribe is listed on the payment menu. The responsibility to pay for your confirmed spot falls on the individual. In short, if you don't pay during the payment window for your tribe, you will lose your spot. Your spot will then be given to someone in another tribe from the On-Deck list.
Q. Why do you only give us a few days to pay for a camp before giving our reserved spots to another tribe? What if I'm out-of-town during the payment period?
A. If you think you may be out-of-town during the payment period, have your Chief, spouse, or another tribe member go online and pay on your behalf. The dates are posted far in advance.
Deadlines are necessary to efficiently offer all of our available camp space to the registered tribes. Because we receive more reservations than campers who ultimately pay, we have to open and close the payment system several times to fill the camp slots without grossly overbooking. Communication is the key to keeping your reservation.
Q. Do you give refunds for a camp that I paid for but couldn't attend?
A. We offer two types of refunds for missed camps: Overbooking refunds and Cancellation refunds.
- An Overbooking Refund will automatically be issued before the camp starts if you paid for a camp slot that was cancelled because the organizers overbooked and there is no longer space for you at the camp. We will do our best to fill our camp commitments without overbooking, but it will likely happen at some point during the year.
- A Cancellation Refund is a reimbursement to the paid member who misses a camp for which they had already paid but chose not to attend. Cancellation refunds will only be considered if the paid member properly cancels by submitting the Cancellation/Refund Request form at least five days before the start of the camp. The Cancellation refund request form is located under the "Payments" section of the website. Unlike the Overbooking refund, there are several conditions that must be met before Katori Nation will issue Cancellation Refunds. The decision to issue a Cancellation Refund will be at the discretion of the camp organizers and officers of Katori Nation. Cancellation Refunds are not guaranteed!
Q. What are the conditions that must be met before my Cancellation Refund Request will be accepted?
A. The following conditions must be met before Katori Nation will accept a Cancellation Refund Request:
- The camp that you missed must have a refund policy in place.
- Katori Nation must have met its minimum attendance numbers for all of the camp weekends under our contract with that camp (i.e., we didn't lose money on the camp during the school year season).
- You must have filled out and submitted the Cancellation Refund Request Form and submitted it prior to 24 hour in advance of the camp start time.
Q. How long will it take for my Cancellation Refund Request to be processed and either Issued or Denied?
A. Depends on the camp. A refund may be issued as soon as the next Longhouse meeting after the camp weekend has finished for single session camps. For multi-session camps (such as Olympia or Hamman) it may take until after the last campout at that camp before refunds can be issued,
Under no circumstances will a Cancellation Refund be issued prior to a final camp attendance tally being recorded by the organizers. "No shows" are not eligible for refunds. If you have a special circumstance that prevents you from attending, contact the War Chief before the camp starts.
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