Licensing & Terms of Use

Open-Access Licensing & Terms of Use

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

Last Updated: November 2026

Headwaters & Marine Stewards® (HMS) is committed to open, democratized watershed science. We provide educators, students, and community scientists with uninhibited access to low-altitude aerial orthomosaics, hydrographic datasets, and experiential coastal curricula.

To ensure these resources remain permanently accessible to the public and free from commercial exploitation, all materials published on this website and within our learning portals are governed by the licensing terms and usage guidelines set forth below.

1. The Creative Commons Framework (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Unless otherwise noted, all educational media, flight assets, lesson frameworks, and technical documentation produced by HMS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Protected Educational Assets

This license applies directly to:

  • High-Resolution Orthomosaics & Digital Twins: All low-altitude, stitched visual and photogrammetric spatial models of the Spruce Creek watershed and coastal Seacoast waterways.
  • Ridge-to-Reef Lesson Dossiers: Teacher facilitation guides, student investigations, Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) worksheets, and field protocols.
  • “Green Box” Lab Blueprints & Schematics: Hardware diagrams, sensor assembly guides, bill of materials (BOM), and instructional build guides.
  • Hydrographic Datasets: Real-time and archival water chemistry logs (salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity) paired with flight missions.

2. Terms of Classroom & Non-Commercial Reuse

Under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, you are actively encouraged to share, adapt, and build upon HMS materials for educational, research, and non-commercial purposes.

  • You May:
    • Download, display, and project orthomosaics and digital twins on classroom screens and student devices (e.g., Chromebooks, tablets).
    • Print, photocopy, and bind lesson dossiers, lab manuals, and field sheets for student use.
    • Modify, translate, or adapt curriculum modules to meet specific state science standards (NGSS), district timelines, or unique grade-level requirements.
    • Share adapted materials with other educators, provided you distribute them under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and include proper attribution.
  • You May Not:
    • Commercialize or Resell: Sell, rent, or bundle any HMS imagery, datasets, or lesson guides for financial gain or commercial advantage.
    • Enclose Behind Commercial Paywalls: Upload HMS materials into proprietary, fee-for-service learning platforms, paid ed-tech curriculum marketplaces (e.g., commercial subscription catalogs or paid teacher-exchange platforms), or gated aggregators.
    • Restrict Reuse: Apply technical DRM locks, encrypted file wrappers, or restrictive terms that prevent others from exercising their rights under this open-access license.

Attribution Requirement

When referencing, adapting, or displaying HMS assets in public exhibits, academic papers, or educational resources, please use the following citation format:

“Data and educational assets provided courtesy of Headwaters & Marine Stewards (HMS) under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Available at hmsstewards.org.”

3. Commercial Inquiries & Special Licensing

For-profit educational technology publishers, environmental consulting firms, engineering entities, or media organizations seeking to use HMS high-resolution imagery, drone survey corridors, or curricular frameworks outside the scope of non-commercial educational use must obtain prior written permission.

To request commercial licensing terms, custom photogrammetry flights, or bespoke spatial datasets, please submit a formal inquiry via our Direct Inquiry/Contact Us page.

4. Scientific & Hydrographic Data Disclaimer

All drone photogrammetry, digital elevation models (DEMs), and in-situ water quality logs published by HMS are developed strictly for educational exploration, community science, and ecological awareness:

  • Not for Nautical Navigation: Orthomosaics, depth indications, channel features, and intertidal contours are not certified hydrographic charts and must never be used for maritime navigation.
  • Not for Legal or Geodetic Boundaries: Drone mapping assets are captured using standalone GNSS positioning and are not georeferenced to survey-grade RTK precision. They do not constitute legal property surveys, boundary determinations, or certified civil engineering site plans.
  • “As-Is” Distribution: While HMS maintains high operational standards in data collection, all data is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis without warranties of any kind regarding merchantability or fitness for a particular regulatory or legal purpose.

5. Field Science & Outdoor Observation Safety Advisory

Field-based watershed science provides invaluable authentic learning, but coastal environments present genuine physical dynamics. When educators, students, or community volunteers conduct ground-truthing, water sampling, or visual shoreline inspections inspired by HMS modules, participants must exercise appropriate safety precautions.

Inherent Coastal Hazards

  • Tidal Dynamics & Mudflats: Spruce Creek and coastal Seacoast estuaries feature severe tidal ranges (often exceeding 9–11 feet) with rapid tidal currents. Intertidal mudflats consist of unconsolidated peat, saturated silt, and deep sediment that present serious sinking and entrapment risks. Never venture onto exposed mudflats without specialized safety gear and localized tidal awareness.
  • Water & Cold Hazards: Gulf of Maine waters remain dangerously cold throughout the school year. Hypothermia can occur rapidly even in mild weather. Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) should be worn during all near-water and dockside sampling activities.
  • Roadsides & Culvert Infrastructure: Many watershed drainage culverts sit within active road rights-of-way, steep highway embankments, or unpaved shoulders. Field observers must wear high-visibility vests, park safely clear of moving traffic, and never enter confined culvert pipes or cross active travel lanes.
  • Private Property: Always respect private shoreline parcels. Field observations must remain strictly on public rights-of-way, municipal easements, public parks, or within navigable waters below the high-water line.

Limitation of Liability

HMS does not organize, supervise, or assume responsibility for independent, self-directed field outings conducted by third-party schools, homeschool groups, or individuals. Educators, school districts, and parents remain solely responsible for conducting field risk assessments, obtaining institutional permission slips, maintaining adequate adult supervision, and adhering to local outdoor safety protocols.

6. Contact & Questions

If you have questions regarding the application of our CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, wish to report an uncredited or commercial misuse of HMS assets, or need guidance on adapting a lesson module for your district, please contact us:

  • Organization: Headwaters & Marine Stewards (HMS)
  • Web: Direct Inquiry/Contact Page
  • Subject Line: Open-Access Licensing / Rights Inquiry