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NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
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Copyright 2008 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.
DATE : May 22, 2008
SUBJECT: Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens
Dear Naturist,
This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee. NAC is encouraging your participation in a proactive opportunity at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore in northern Michigan.
The National Park Service (NPS) is considering the future of Sleeping Bear Dunes and is presently developing a revised General Management Plan, Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement that will guide the unit for the next 20 years. There is a long history of responsible clothing-optional recreation within the 71,000+ acres of the National Lakeshore at traditional locations like Otter Creek. The interests of naturists deserve to be reflected in whatever long-term planning is adopted.
NAC URGES YOU TO COMMENT ON THE DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Park Service is requesting comments on the five alternative plans it is considering. NAC is asking you to read the proposals and submit a comment to NPS.
You will find convenient clickable links to these documents under the ALERTS tab on the NAC Web page: www.naturistaction.org
The entire document is available online. As you might expect for a 20-year plan, it's somewhat detailed and large. It's divided into multiple parts in PDF format.
For a quick, condensed and less detailed comparison of the proposed alternatives, a summary with charts is available.
The electronic comment form is available online. Or you may send your comments on paper to:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
9922 Front Street
Empire, MI 49630
The deadline for submitting comments in any format is 11:59 PM MST on June 13, 2008.
WHO SHOULD SEND COMMENTS?
NAC encourages ALL NATURISTS to submit comments, regardless of your geographical residence. As a unit of the National Park Service, Sleeping Bear Dunes is a federal facility that relies on the support of U.S. taxpayers.
WHICH ALTERNATIVE DOES NAC RECOMMEND?
Naturist Action Committee board member Kath Rooney recently visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and met with Assistant Superintendent Tom Ulrich. Park management recommends the "Preferred Alternative." That's also the choice that Kath recommends.
The Preferred Alternative includes modest parking improvements for Esch Beach. The traditional clothing-optional area is accessed from this beach.
THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR COMMENTS
Regardless of the specific alternative you may favor, it is very important that naturists make their recreational preferences known in their comments. The Naturist Action Committee offers these suggestions:
1) Be polite and positive. Let's make good use of this
proactive opportunity.
2) Identify yourself. Give your name and address. Anonymous
comments are not accepted. You may ask NPS to keep your
identity confidential, but they cannot assure their compliance.
3) Stay focused. Keep your comments brief and pertinent.
This is not the proper forum for trying to convert Park
Service personnel to the joys of nude recreation or body
acceptance. This is an opportunity to make the point that
those who enjoy clothing-optional recreation are legitimate
users who deserve to have their recreational preferences
reflected and accommodated in any long-term plan.
4) Be clear. In your comments, say that you wish
clothing-optional recreation to be included in the General
Management Plan.
Additional talking / writing points:
a) Proper informational signage is an important tool in
managing FOR clothing-optional recreation. Signs help avoid
"user conflict," which is a term Park Service managers
recognize clearly.
b) Those who prefer clothing-optional areas are typically
low-impact users. They are respectful of the natural
environment because of their inherent close relationship
to it.
c) A recent public opinion poll shows that a majority of
Americans favor the setting aside of public lands for
clothing-optional recreation. (Source: 2006 NEF/Roper Poll,
commissioned by the Naturist Education Foundation and conducted
by the Roper polling organization.)
d) In that same poll, 74 percent of Americans believe that people
who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able to do so without
interference from local officials as long as they do so at a
beach that is accepted for that purpose.
2. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING
A series of three public meetings have been scheduled for presentation and discussion of the Draft Management Plan. If you can attend one of these meetings, you will make a significant additional impact on behalf of naturists. The points listed as sugestions for written comments are appropriate for delivery at these meetings, too.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008:
Platte River Elementary, 11434 Main, Honor, MI 49640
Wednesday, June 4, 2008:
Hagerty Center, NMC, 715 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686
Thursday, June 5, 2008:
Glen Arbor Township Hall, 6394 W. Western Ave, Glen Arbor, MI 49636
The meeting formats and times (5:30-8:30 p.m.) for each meeting are
identical:
5:30-6:00 p.m. Open House
6:00-6:30 p.m. Formal Presentation
6:30-7:00 p.m. Question and Answer Period
7:00-8:30 p.m. Public Comments/Hearing
Naturist Action Committee board member Bill Schroer will be in attendance at the meeting on Tuesday, June 3, in Honor, Michigan. NAC Area Represntative Mart Groesser will be at the meeting on Wednesday, June 4, in Traverse City, Michigan. Join Bill or Mart - or choose the remaining meeting. The important thing is that naturists participate in this process.
MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Action Alert on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.
Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.
PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!
The Naturist Action Committee is the volunteer nonprofit political adjunct to The Naturist Society. NAC exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. The Sleeping Bear Dunes project is an excellent example of positive, proactive activism.
Working for clothing-optional recreational use of public land is expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you.
After you've submitted your comments to the Parks Service, please take a moment to send a donation to:
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation:
Thank you for choosing to make a difference.
Naturally,
Bill Schroer
Kath Rooney
Board Members
Naturist Action Committee
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Naturist Action Committee (NAC)- PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Bill Schroer - naturist18a@gmail.com
Board Member Kath Rooney - nakedvet@gmail.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
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