Woods Flock

About Woods Flock

Woods Flock was founded to bring together nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and creatives within the furry fandom. We want to build an awesome, inclusive community, nourish friendships, and simply have fun! Charity is also important to us – our first year, we donated $1000 to For Fox Sake and have raised over $2000 each subsequent year so far for Exotic Pet Wonderland. If you are part of a charity and interested in working with us, feel free to reach out!

Our main campouts take place at Fall Creek Falls State Park, though we may move elsewhere in TN in the future. We already host smaller events in different areas nearby, including the Upper Cumberland, smokies, and Chattanooga area.

We are also committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment. Care for the well-being of our members, visitors, nature, and the beautiful parks who host us are of the utmost importance to us. Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with the policies that make up our Code of Conduct so that everyone understand expectations and can have a good time. The well-being of all participants and care for our beautiful natural areas and their inhabitants is our highest priority. If you violate the CoC you may be asked to leave and barred from attending future Woods Flock events.

Code of Conduct

Be kind, to everyone and everything. That means NO violence, harassment (verbal or physical), theft, or vandalism will be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination against any group or person on the basis of race, sex, gender, orientation, disability, language, etc. Pedophiles, zoophiles, nazis, or similar are not welcome in our community.

Whether in or out of costume, consent is REQUIRED to touch others! Always ask or gesture before giving hugs or anything else, and keep it appropriate. This is particularly important when approaching from behind or if the person has limited vision. As Wood Flock is a family-friendly event, we ask that costumes be tasteful and cover most of the body. As far as interpersonal relationships, what people do in the privacy of their tents or vehicles is not our business as long as it is not in sight or hearing, but be respectful of the fact others are around and not consenting to being privy to your relationships. 

No littering! Take care of your trash/recycling appropriately. Wash your own dishes, and do not leave food waste where it may attract animals or pests. Utilize restroom & shower facilities for their designated functions, or disposable wipes in absence of them. In short, let’s all keep ourselves and our areas clean so everyone can enjoy the space!

Woods Flock is an all ages/ family-friendly event; in order to maintain this environment, we ask that attendees be cognizant of their language and clothing choices, and refrain from lewdness and vulgarity while in public areas (including on clothing). Please keep adult material, including mature costumes or fetish gear, to private property (within tents, vehicles), or within the Roost during Adults-Only hours.  Market Artists (or anyone else) may not have adult or lewd material on display, or work on it where any general attendees may see it. 

Drugs are not permitted at our events or in the Parks. Reasonable alcohol consumption is permitted by those of legal age within the event space, provided it is kept in-hand or otherwise inaccessible to anyone underage. No smoking in buildings/pavilions or public-use areas. You may smoke at the tree line provided you clean up after yourself and ensure there there is no potential to start a fire. Vaping is permitted in the open air but please be respectful of your fellow campers.

No personal fires, unless using self-contained fire-pits or camp grills. Main fire pit(s) will be tended by Woods Flock staff. Employ proper fire management. Only heat-treated firewood is allowed in the park, but downed wood may be collected from the immediate vicinity. Fires should be attended at all times and fully extinguished when done with.

Park quiet hours are 10pm to 6am. That is not a curfew, it just means no one but the people right next to you should be able to hear you. If we have to repeatedly ask you to keep it down, you will be first asked to go to bed, and if noise continues you will be asked to leave and may not be granted access to Woods Flock accommodations in the future. We ask during daytime hours to aim for a respectful level of (happy) noise. There should be no electronics on the Rec Field or in public areas other than personal devices (such as phones or those in use with earphones), or small bluetooth speakers. Volume should not be heard significantly outside your own camping space.

Leave wildlife alone! That includes not feeding wild animals. Service animals are allowed, but please no pets in the lodge/buildings. They must be cleaned up after, leashed or otherwise contained at all times, and cannot be left unattended at camp sites, per park policy. Other pedestrians have right-of-way. Any animals that display aggression or inability to be kept under control will need to be removed from the event space. DO NOT TOUCH OR APPROACH ANYONE’S ANIMAL WITHOUT CONSENT.

We ask attendees not to bring weapons, nor brandish items in a violent way. Utility or pocket knives are excepted, but must be used, kept or stored properly so as not to potentially cause injury. Supervised archery in the designated range area with targets is the only other exception. Prop weapons are allowed as long as they could not be mistaken for a real weapon and/or have no sharp edges or projectiles.

Please understand that incidents which occur outside our events are generally out of our control. If your concern is of a criminal nature, PLEASE reach out to law enforcement.

If you have concerns or feel the need to report something or someone to our staff, you may do so in-person or email support@woodsflock.com. Please include the nature of your concern (security, violation or intent to violate code of conduct, or intent to cause harm), what event it pertains to, any supporting evidence you have, and other witnesses (if applicable/available/permissible), as well as the name and/or handle or what they would be known as in the community.

We take the safety of our members seriously and will review reports accordingly. Because membership status is private information, we will not be able to provide anyone with the result of our investigation.

General Audio/visual Recording and Photography Policies: 

Video and audio recording and photography for personal archival use is permitted and encouraged. However, absolutely no commercial or media usage of any video, audio, or photographic recordings collected at Woods Flock, by any source or obtained through any third party, is allowed unless permitted under the WF media policies outlined below.

Always be sure to ask permission and act kindly towards others when taking photographs or recording. You must refrain from recording or photographing any person who clearly expresses that he or she does not want to be recorded or photographed, and you may not distribute recordings or photographs that contain audio or video of said person(s), though you may edit out said person(s) and distribute the remaining footage as long as in accordance with these media policies.

Undercover Devices: Undercover or “hidden” microphones or cameras utilized with the intention of recording are prohibited for the safety and security of our attendees.

Live Streaming and Video Blogging: With the advancement of technology and the shift of media consumption, the following rules have been added to ensure the safety, privacy, and wellbeing of our attendees and guests.

Live streaming for any purpose is not allowed. This includes the use of live streaming apps or platforms on any electronic device (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.). 

Video blogging, sometimes referred to as vlogs, of snippets or your entire experience at Woods Flock for personal use are allowed. However, some of this content can be very disruptive to other attendees, and large productions are not allowed. In other words, if you are using multiple devices and/or people to record audio, video, and photographs, you are crossing into territory that falls under our Press, Media and Content Creator Policy.  Our safety staff shall have final say in deciding what does and does not violate our Press, Media & Content Creator Policy.  Violation of this policy may result in immediate revocation of your registration and expulsion from the convention.

Press, Media & Content Creator Activities: 

Any attendee wishing to use media captured at Woods Flock (either audio or video) for any purpose other than private use will fall under Woods Flock’s Press, Media & Content Creator Policy and must have a Media Pass. Attendees without a Media Pass agree not to act as agents of any media organization or content creator in any way, shape, or form while attending Woods Flock. This includes, but is not limited to: interviewing, photography, and audiovisual recording for the purposes of commercial, monetize, or otherwise non-private purposes.

It shall be understood that Woods Flock, LLC. retains all rights to all audiovisual recordings made by WF as well as the use of the Woods Flock name and logo, unless such use is specifically disclaimed or permitted by contract.

Hobbyist Photographers & Videographers:

We recognize that many members of our community are avid hobbyist photographers and videographers.  We want you to be able to enjoy your hobby while attending Woods Flock.  To ensure that there is no confusion between a hobbyist and a member of the media (requiring a media pass), all hobbyist photographers or videographers using large / professional looking cameras must stop by Registration to sign a hobbyist photographer / videographer waiver and pick up a hobbyist badge. 

This badge should be visible at any time when the hobbyist is taking video or photos.  Please note that this badge is in no way a media pass and does not grant any special access to any areas of the convention.  It is merely to identify the holder as a hobbyist rather than a member of the media.

Hobbyists must follow the same rules as anyone else taking personal archival use photographs or video recordings.  Permission must be obtained from any person before taking a photo or video of them.  Photography or video activities cannot interfere with the operation of the convention or create a safety hazard.  If any person asks not to be filmed or photographed, that request must be respected.  Live streaming is not permitted, even for personal or hobbyist use.

Hobbyists must also avoid the use of any large or obtrusive equipment that could present a hazard in crowded convention spaces.  This includes equipment like boom microphones, large gimbal rigs, etc. 

Woods Flock reserves the right to revoke the hobbyist lanyard and ask a hobbyist to return their equipment to their vehicle if the actions of the hobbyist become distracting or interfere in the operation of the event in any way.

 

PRESS, MEDIA & CONTENT CREATOR POLICIES

The Woods Flock (WF) furry camp / mini-convention is not a public event. It is a private, membership-only event. Our first priority is the safety and security of our members, and WF reserves the right to deny admission to any person or group, at any time, and for any reason.

For the purposes of this policy, the term “media” will include all members of the press (print, televised, radio, online, etc), all content creators (anyone who creates content for any commercialized or monetized online platform, social media site, streaming service or the like).  If questions arise regarding the difference between personal use and media-related activities, it shall be solely within the discretion of WF to determine whether such activities are in fact allowed under our personal use exemption or qualify as media-related activities. 

WF may be willing to grant interviews and requests for information to authorized agents of the media prior to the event and will have Media Passes available solely at our discretion for media outlets wishing to cover Woods Flock. 

These passes will only be available to those who can prove that they are employed by a reputable broadcast, print or Internet media organization or have an established content platform. WF will review the content created by those requesting media passes to ensure the platform and historical content aligns with WF’s purpose and policies. This vetting process takes time, so all media passes must be requested no later than February 1st of the convention year.  (sorry – we’re too busy after that point to do the necessary vetting).

If you show up at a WF event and request a media pass without having made prior arrangements and received approval before the February 1st cutoff date, your request for a media pass will be denied.  If you were to elect to continue with press, media or content creation activities after being denied the required pass, you will be asked to leave by our safety staff and escorted out by Park security if necessary.

When applying for a Media Pass, please be able to provide us with the following information: your name and full contact information: address, direct telephone and email address.  Members of a press or media outlet must provide full contact information for your editor and publication, the nature of the story you are writing and what type of information and media you will be gathering at WF.  For online content creators requesting a media pass, please provide the above contact information along with links to each of your content platforms, contact information for your management agency if applicable, and a means to access any pay-walled or “members only” content on your platforms.  

If you have been granted a Media Pass, you must check in at Registration immediately upon your arrival at the convention to receive your media badge. You must do this before ANY media-related activities can take place at the convention; failure to check in before conducting media-related activities will result in revocation of the Media Pass and you being asked to leave. 

When you check in at Registration, please have the following with you: two (2) business cards, a government issued picture ID, and a copy of the approval email you received granting the Media Pass.

Restrictions:

When you check in at Registration, you will be given a list of approved convention events that you will be permitted to attend along with a list of both approved and restricted convention spaces. You will not be permitted to attend any events or enter any spaces on behalf of your organization that are not on the approved list.

You will be required, at all times, while you are within convention spaces, to visibly display your media badge. You may not alter, obscure, duplicate or hide your media badge or otherwise attempt to conceal the fact that you are a member of the media as defined in this policy.

You will be required, at all times, while you are within convention spaces, to carry your government issued photo ID and business cards. The WF safety team may randomly request to see these; they must be presented without delay.

You will be permitted to conduct interviews and WF can, at your request, provide you with a quiet area to conduct them. However, you must ask us first; we will not be able to guarantee you an area if you have not arranged it in advance.

You will not be permitted to harass, intimidate, coerce or otherwise force anyone who does not wish to be interviewed or photographed to do so against their will. If someone says any variation of “no” or physically signals that they do not want to be included in your content, you are required to respect their wishes the first time.  Repeatedly asking after being told no will be considered harassment, result in the revocation of your Media Membership and you will be asked to leave immediately.

You may not, under any circumstances, share your media badge with another person.  Media badges are issued to a single person only.  If you have others from your organization with you assisting, each person in your group must have and display their media badge at all times.

You may not utilize any hidden cameras or microphones, or otherwise attempt to conceal an audio visual recording device. Live streaming content is strictly prohibited and is not an approved activity, even with a media pass.  Doing so will be grounds for immediate revocation of your press pass and you being asked to leave.

Notes:

All attendees holding any type of membership to an FWA event are required to acknowledge, understand and abide by our Policies & Code of Conduct while at the convention. .

To apply for a Media Pass, please contact support@Woodsflock.com with the subject :Media Pass Application