NAC Action Alert - Auburn, California

**********************************************************************
                    NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
                             UPDATE
**********************************************************************
                  http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2009 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 26, 2009
SUBJECT: CA: American River updated e-address
TO     : Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

This is an Update from the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) concerning an opportunity at Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA) in California.

NAC recently asked for your help in thanking a couple of State Park superintendents for their steady responses in the wake of a local city council resolution. City council members in Auburn, California, had requested that citations be issued to those who are merely nude along portions of the American River in the Auburn SRA, where clothing-optional use is traditional.

California Parks personnel have reaffirmed the existing protocol for managing clothing-optional recreation at Auburn SRA. That protocol does not include the issuance of a citation for simple nudity in the absence of a specific complaint.

Naturists have an opportunity to say, "Thank You," and NAC has asked for your immediate action in the form of your letters and e-mails of encouragement and appreciation to key California Parks personnel. The NAC Action Alert asking for your help was distributed on May 21, 2009.

Here's a convenient link to the NAC Action Alert: 

http://tinyurl.com/q5l22c

UPDATE

Your response to NAC's Action Alert has been gratifying and effective. NAC appreciates you!

We've learned that e-mail sent to one of the e-addresses has bounced, so we're printing a corrected contact list. We've also taken the opportunity to update a recently changed ZIP code.

The corrected e-mail address is the one for Acting Sector Superintendent Mike Lynch. The revised ZIP code is for the CA Parks office in Sacramento.

WHOM TO CONTACT (corrected)

It's not too late to write and say "Thank You."

You may send letters of appreciation that are written on paper or e-mailed. We want tangible evidence of our participation, so NAC is not asking for phone calls in this instance. Please write to both of the following key individuals.

  Scott Nakaji
  Gold Fields District Superintendent
  California State Parks
  7806 Folsom Auburn Road
  Folsom, CA 95630
  snakaji@parks.ca.gov

  Mike Lynch
  Auburn Acting Sector Superintendent
  California State Parks
  501 El Dorado
  Auburn, CA 95604
  mjlynch@parks.ca.gov

Please send a copy of your correspondence to:

  Ruth Coleman
  Director
  Dept. of Parks and Recreation
  1416 Ninth Street,
  Sacramento, CA 95814
  director@parks.ca.gov

NAC would enjoy the opportunity to read your thank you notes. Please
send a copy to:

  NAC
  P.O. Box 132
  Oshkosh, WI 54903
  auburn@naturistaction.org
  

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Update on the Web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

  http://www.naturistaction.org

Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Update under Current Updates.

There you will find the complete text of the Auburn City Council's resolution, as well as NAC's response to the City.

Naturally,

Bob Morton
Executive Director
Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton       - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Allen Baylis       - rab@baylislaw.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick  - naturist@sunclad.com
---------------------------------------------------------------

NAC Update - Vermont

From the Naturist Action Committee:

**********************************************************************
                    NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
                            UPDATE
**********************************************************************
                  http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2009 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 8, 2009
SUBJECT: Vermont: Lake Willoughby, Westmore
TO     : All Naturists

Dear Naturist,

This is an Update from the Naturist Action Committee concerning Lake Willoughby, which is located in the town of Westmore, Vermont, and lies within the Willoughby State Forest.

Recently, NAC proactively approached the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation with a proposal that will allow naturists to work more closely and effectively with the State for the proper stewardship of Lake Willoughby. Both the Agency and the Department have responded favorably.

BRIEF HISTORY AND DISCUSSION

During 2008, a traditional clothing-optional site on the southwest cove of Lake Willoughby was threatened by a petition to ban nudity in the tiny town of Westmore. The Naturist Action Committee issued a NAC Advisory on this matter on April 28, 2008

http://www.naturistaction.org/AlertsAdvisoriesUpdates/ADVISORIES/VT_Lake_Willoughby_04-28-08/vt_lake_willoughby_04-28-08.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/lakewilloughby

A proposed anti-nudity ordinance for the town (including the lake) subsequently failed.

Since the earliest word of a threat to skinny-dipping at Lake Willoughby, NAC has been working continuously with a local naturist group, helping it organize more formally and assisting it in its opposition to the anti-nudity ordinance. The group, which calls itself Friends of Willoughby - Southwest Cove (FOW-SWC), is affiliated with The Naturist Society.

UPDATE ON THE PROPOSED ANTI-NUDITY ORDINANCE

The effort to pass an anti-nudity ordinance in Westmore was revived briefly in early 2009 by the same handful of individuals who had proposed the ban originally. A fiscal appropriation considered necessary for enacting such an ordinance failed to receive the necessary votes at a Westmore town meeting in March 2009. Although the adoption of an anti-nudity ordinance in Westmore seems unlikely this year, NAC continues its close monitoring of the situation there on behalf of naturists.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS RAISED BY NUDITY OPPONENTS

As the unit of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources that manages and maintains many state-owned properties, the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR) is responsible for Lake Willoughby. At the end of August 2008, FPR sent letters to the president of Friends of Willoughby SWC and another member, demanding their presence at a meeting to discuss alleged environmental damage at the southwest cove.

Although the meeting was not characterized as a direct threat to clothing-optional use of the beach, NAC learned that the complaint behind the investigation had come from among the familiar handful of nudity opponents in Westmore. Those individuals had somehow learned of the meeting and had arranged to be present. NAC suspected that the meeting could easily be retribution, targeting those who had helped defeat Westmore's anti-nudity ordinance. NAC quickly and carefully selected, interviewed and retained a highly qualified local attorney to represent the two naturists. See the NAC Advisory dated November 12, 2008

http://www.naturistaction.org/AlertsAdvisoriesUpdates/ADVISORIES/VT_Willoughby_11-12-08/vt_willoughby_11-12-08.html

or 

http://tinyurl.com/willoughbyadvisory

NAC's hiring of legal counsel changed the dynamic of the situation. Upon hearing that the targets would be represented by a lawyer at the meeting, FPR postponed the meeting. Eventually, no such meeting was ever conducted.

PROACTIVE OPPORTUNITY

After several months, the questionable environmental charges had not been proved and were no longer being pursued. Nevertheless, NAC moved to resolve the matter more directly with ANR and FPR, so that the lingering attention to the issue might be redirected in a positive manner for the State and for naturists.

In a teleconference that included NAC board member Virginia Schnee, NAC Executive Director Bob Morton, the Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources and the Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation. NAC offered to be a resource to the State and to advocate for the proper usage of the Lake Willoughby southwest cove. That proposal was received graciously and enthusiastically.

NAC requested a memorandum that could be used to guide FOW members, as well as to educate the general public about the proper stewardship of Lake Willoughby and its shoreline. In early spring of 2009, NAC received those guidelines from the Vermont ANR. It is this memorandum that has become the basis for recent news reports concerning Lake Willoughby and Friends of Willoughby SWC.

A RELATED VERMONT ISSUE

Meanwhile, an individual who has been a vocal proponent of the Westmore anti-nudity ordinance approached a Vermont state representative with a request for special interest legislation. As a result, Rep John Rodgers (D-Glover) introduced a bill entitled "Prohibiting Public Nudity on Public Lands" in the current session of the Vermont legislature.

NAC has worked behind the scenes to oppose the bill. In a NAC Action Alert distributed March 27, 2009

http://www.naturistaction.org/AlertsAdvisoriesUpdates/ALERTS/VT_2009_H_154_03-27-09/vt_2009_h_154_03-27-09.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/vtbill

the Naturist Action Committee asked naturists to take action by writing to members of the Vermont legislative committee considering the anti-nudity bill. Your response was tremendous and effective.

NAC thanks you!

Having failed to make it out of the legislative committee to which it was assigned, H.154 will not be considered further this year.

Of significance is the comment of Rep. Helen Head, Chair of the Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs. Rep. Head wrote:

"H.154 has not been considered by the committee. This year's
deadline for bill passage out of Vermont House committees
was March 20. While the bill could be considered next year,
it should be noted that there appears to be little time or
interest in passing this bill.

I was recently reminded of an opinion issued to police
departments in 1971 by Vermont's distinguished senior
U.S. Senator, Patrick Leahy, when he served as Chittenden
County State's Attorney. In that opinion, he commented on
the time-honored practice of unclothed swimming known as
skinny-dipping. He concluded that nude bathing in secluded
areas sometimes publicly used should be permitted when no
one present is offended and no disorderly conduct has
taken place.

I agree. A great many Vermonters have engaged in this
practice and are tolerant of discreet skinny-dipping."

Regards,

Rep. Helen Head, Chair
Committee on General, Housing & Military Affairs
Vermont House of Representatives

WHAT IS NAC DOING?

The Naturist Action Committee is taking an active role in the Lake Willoughby / Westmore situation, both through the local naturist group and through direct interface with Vermont state agencies.

NAC board member Virginia Schnee has been the primary NAC contact for Friends of Willoughby SWC. Virginia has provided guidance at FOW-SWC's monthly meetings. She has taken part in their meetings with the legal counsel NAC retained, and she has attended public meetings in Westmore.

NAC continues working closely with Friends of Willoughby SWC, which is spearheading the local effort to oppose any future anti-nudity ordinance in the town of Westmore. With NAC's encouragement, FOW-SWC is making itself an even more valuable part of the local community. An example is scheduled for this coming weekend, when FOW-SWC conducts a cleanup of Westmore's town beach on the north end of Lake Willoughby. It's not a traditional clothing-optional area, but it's an excellent place for naturists to demonstrate their local involvement.

WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

This is an update. NAC is not requesting your specific action at this
time.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Update on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee. Go to: http://www.naturistaction.org and then select "Alerts, Advisories & Updates" to find this NAC Update under Current Updates.

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

The Naturist Action Committee is a volunteer nonprofit organization that exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. NAC's legislative monitoring and action are important and continuing operations. When legal representation becomes necessary, NAC acts swiftly and effectively. Both of those essential functions are reflected in this NAC Update, and both are expensive.

NAC needs your help. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary help of supporters like you. Please support NAC by sending your generous 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: http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Naturally,

Virginia Schnee
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Director Bob Morton   - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Virginia Schnee    - virginia@schnee.com
Online Rep Dennis Kirkpatrick   - naturist@sunclad.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
D. Kirkpatrick......| 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-

NAC Advisory - Colorado

From the Naturist Action Committee:

*****************************************************************

NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE ADVISORY

*****************************************************************

http://www.naturistaction.org

*****************************************************************

Copyright 2009 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 : April 28, 2009

SUBJECT: Colorado anti-nudity law

TO : All Naturists

Dear Naturist,

This is an Advisory from the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) concerning the existing public nudity law in the state of Colorado. The Boulder chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has announced a public forum to discuss and consider possible revisions to the law, and NAC encourages interested naturists and others to attend.

A primary focus of the forum will be the consideration of whether sex offender registration should be a consequence for acts of simple public nudity.

WHERE AND WHEN?

ACLU has announced the forum with short notice. The event will take place:

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 7:00 PM MDT

Law School of the University of Colorado at Boulder (southwest corner of the CU campus. Take Regent Drive off Broadway or Colorado Avenue, south on Kittredge Loop) Room 204

BRIEF HISTORY AND DISCUSSION

Participants in a yearly event called the Naked Pumpkin Run run through a mall area in Boulder, Colorado, a traditional site for the event. Of the hundreds who run, many wear nothing but hollowed-out pumpkins on their heads. The run is an anticipated yearly tradition. Spectators and participants alike are drawn to the event, expecting frivolity and nudity.

In previous years, the benign presence of law enforcement has simply been a precaution against possible crowd management issues. It never has been a problem. Although Colorado has an indecent exposure law, local police did not apply it to the participants in the Naked Pumpkin Run.

During the 2008 event, however, authorities arrested 12 participants and charged them with indecent exposure. If an individual is found guilty or pleads no contest to such charges in Colorado, the penalty includes registration as a sex offender.

Of those who were charged in 2008, some successfully pled to lesser charges. Others had all the charges against them dropped. The various resolutions came only after extensive (and expensive) legal maneuvering. The outcome is that none of the participants has been required to resister as a sex offender. However, several of the twelve have had their names published in the context of possible sex offender status, as a part of official records and in local media reporting.

WHAT IS NAC DOING?

Shortly after the arrests were made in 2008, the Naturist Action Committee began hearing from those who had been charged. NAC immediately began working as a resource to a local attorney representing five of those who had been charged.

NAC remains in contact with the Boulder County chapter of the ACLU, which is sponsoring the local forum. Ultimate action on this issue will involve ACLU and NAC.

WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

This is an advisory. NAC is NOT asking for you to contact state or local officials. However, if you live in the Boulder area and can attend the ACLU forum on extremely short notice, NAC urges you to do so.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Advisory on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

http://www.naturistaction.org

Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Advisory under Current Advisories. You will find useful links, including the text of the existing Colorado law addressing indecent exposure.

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

The Naturist Action Committee is a volunteer nonprofit organization that exists to advance and protect the rights of naturists throughout North America. Fighting for the rights of local naturists is necessary, but it's expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you. To donate to NAC, use the address below:

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:http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Naturally,

Kath Rooney

Board Member

Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------

Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903

Executive Director Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org

Board Member Kath Rooney - nakedvet@gmail.com

Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

-

-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D. Kirkpatrick......|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-

Topfree in Pensacola????

I received a link to some photos on the photosharing service Flickr the other day, and they were photos of topfree women on the beach in Pensacola, Florida.

Now I found this very interesting, and am trying to find out if this is the norm, or if topfree is actually now acceptable in the Florida panhandle beach town. I've always thought of Pensacola as a sleepy little town where churches take their youth groups to summer camp, and bikinis were considered risque. I mean, after all, the unofficial nickname of Pensacola is "The Redneck Riviera".

Now the only thing I can find about Pensacola is that it hosts a huge gay pride rally/meeting over Memorial Day weekend, which tends to fill the hotels.

We'll keep looking at this story. In the meantime... is it summer yet?

My memories of Lee Baxandall

We lost one of the great leaders in naturism a few weeks ago, when Lee Baxandall passed away.

I had only met Lee one time in person, but we have corresponded over the last 16 or so years that I ran the CO Digest newsletter. We didn't always agree on things, but I respected Lee's opinions, and I think he respected mine.

Lee Baxandall never shied away from controversial topics, and some of those topics probably cost him in the long run (an expose on Mardi Gras and sex in New Orleans, an ill-fated Naturist Gathering, ultimately canceled at the Reverend Moon's retreat are some examples). But Lee Baxandall was a shining star in bringing naturism to the forefront in the United States, at the same time that AANR was continuing to lag in the past. I truly think that if we had not had Lee Baxandall on our side, there would be no nude hotels in Palm Springs, or topfree and nude beaches in South Florida. For that matter, there might not be any nude recreation of any kind in the US.

Lee Baxandall was a pioneer, and his legacy will be one for the ages. I will miss him.

Another nudist camp lost

We recently received word (through the special interest nudist group of the Escapee's travel club) that another nudist club is going swinger.

Riverside Resort, near San Antonio, Texas, will switch from a family nudist camp to a clothing-optional lifestyle (swinger) friendly park. Riverside is a 22 acre camp, located about 15 miles south of San Antonio, and is the only nudist area in the San Antonio area, which makes this announcement all the more surprising.

We understood that Riverside was making good money as a nudist resort, but yet they have decided to make the jump. We found this news hard to believe, but an email from the owners confirmed that Riverside Resort would be a lifestyle club as of January 1, 2009.

It makes one wonder... is the family naturist/nudist club a thing of the past? We continue to hear reports of nudist clubs that are seeing fewer and fewer visitors. Nudists seem to want to only go to the beach, or to destinations, such as Jamaica, Bonaire, or even Europe. We now have a proliferation of luxury locations to get naked, and while these new locales are a positive, I think that the clubs have not kept up with what the modern nudist wants.

We did a survey many years ago and discovered that around 1/3 of nudist were swingers, and about 1/3 of swingers were nudists. So, there is definitely a market for the clothing-optional lifestyle resort. Hedonism resorts in Jamaica have made a fortune attracting this genre. The Desire resorts in Mexico have hopped on the bandwagon, as have other resorts in Texas, California, and Michigan.

So I ask the question.... are today's nudist camps a thing of the past? Is there a future for nudist camps in the US?

I think the answer is no. So what do you think?

************************************************************

NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE

ADVISORY

************************************************************

http://www.naturistaction.org

************************************************************

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 : November 28, 2008

SUBJECT: Lee Baxandall (1935-2008)

TO : All naturists

Dear Naturist,

The Naturist Society has announced with profound sadness that its founder, Lee Baxandall, has died in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Baxandall, who had suffered from Parkinson's Disease, was 73 years old at the time of his death on November 27, 2008.

Baxandall began his work as a naturist activist more than 30 years ago. With a background in writing and publishing, Lee's naturist passion led him in 1976 to form the Free Beaches Documentation Center, which he located in his hometown of Oshkosh. By 1980, Lee had founded The Naturist Society (TNS), and TNS had presented its first Gathering for naturists. 'Clothed with the Sun,' the flagship publication of TNS in its early years, was renamed 'Nude & Natural,' or more simply, 'N' magazine in 1989. Today, the magazine has a staff of professional and volunteer writers, but in the early days, much of the content of the magazine was pure Baxandall.

Lee was also the initiating force behind other familiar naturist organizations. In 1983, it was a Baxandall idea (and $70 in seed money that Lee pulled from his own pocket and gave to Murray Kaufman) that led to the TNS special interest group that would become Gay Naturists International. In 1990, Baxandall jump-started the Naturist Action Committee as an adjunct to TNS. The Naturist Education Foundation followed in 1993.

For the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, 'Lee Baxandall's World Guide to Nude Beaches and Resorts' was the standard companion for those seeking information on naturist destinations throughout the world. Each edition of the World Guide reflected Lee's naturist philosophy, not only for growing numbers of naturists, but also for the benefit of an expanding mainstream audience. Baxandall's World Guide is the inspiration for 'The World's Best Nude Beaches and Resorts,' a recent TNS publication that carries on the tradition.

In 2002, recognizing the inevitable effect of his declining health, Baxandall transferred ownership of The Naturist Society to a carefully selected handful of longtime associates. TNS is necessarily a dynamic organization that responds to the changing needs of its members. Nevertheless, owners Nicky Hoffman Lee and Margaret Thornton have remained remarkably faithful to the vision of Lee Baxandall.

DETAILS AND ARRANGMENTS

Arrangements are pending. Lee's family has not yet announced details. More complete obituaries will, of course, appear in N magazine and in The Newsletter. The Naturist Action Committee will distribute further information in the form of NAC Updates, as details become available.

The directors of the Naturist Action Committee and the Naturist Education Foundation join with the ownership and staff of The Naturist Society in marking, with respect and appreciation, the passing of an exceptional individual.

"Body acceptance is the idea. Nude recreation is the way."

- Lee R. Baxandall (1935-2008)

Naturally,

Bob Morton

Executive Director

Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------

Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903

Executive Director Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org

Naturist Society: Nicky Hoffman Lee ­ nickyh@naturistsociety.com

Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com

---------------------------------------------------------------