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NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
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http://www.naturistaction.org
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Copyright 2010 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: July 21, 2010
SUBJECT: California
TO: Naturists and other concerned citizens
Dear Naturist,
This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee. NAC is asking for your immediate help in an effort to have the State of California create official designations of areas for
clothing-optional recreation in state parks.
Under existing regulations (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 4322), the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) already has the authority to
designate clothing-optional areas in units of the State Parks system. Through a petition that has been delivered to the Parks Department, the Naturist Action Committee has formally and specifically requested the Parks
Department to make the designations it is presently allowed, by law, to make.
WHO SIGNED THE PETITION?
NAC invited California naturist and nudist clubs, groups and organizations to sign. The following sixteen signatories appear on the petition:
Naturist Action Committee
Friends of San Onofre Beach
BeachFront U.S.A
Black's Beach Bares
Friends of Gaviota
San Diego Camping Bares
Bay Area Naturists
Clothes Free International
Southern California Naturist Association
Whales Cave Conservancy
Naturists in the OC
Laguna del Sol
Nude Beach Alliance
Living Waters Spa
Naked Volleyball
Central Coast Naturists
Responding here to an anticipated question, NAC points out that it asked both the American Association for Nude Recreation and AANR-West to sign the petition for designation
of appropriate areas for clothing-optional recreation in California State Parks. AANR and AANR-West each declined to sign.
IMPORTANT NEXT STEP: NAC ASKS YOU TO WRITE IN SUPPORT OF THE PETITION
NAC urgently requests that you contact the Director of CA Parks and other important
California State officials to express your vigorous support for the petition they have in their hands.
So that your contacts will have the greatest effect, please first take a couple of moments to learn about this
situation.
WHAT DOES THE PETITION SAY?
The petition reminds the
California Department of Parks and Recreation of its existing authority to set aside areas in State Park units for nude recreation. Using the Department’s own documents and publications to justify the request, NAC and its
partners call attention to the fact that the published mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation includes "creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation."
NAC augmented the
submitted petition with exhibits, including a California-specific public opinion poll published just last year. The Naturist Education Foundation commissioned an independent polling organization to conduct the 2009 NEF
California Poll. In that statistically significant survey:
79 percent of Californians AGREED that "people should be able to enjoy nude sunbathing on a beach or other location that is designated for that purpose"
70
percent AGREED that "areas should be set aside for people who enjoy clothing-optional recreation such as nude sunbathing and swimming"
62 percent AGREED that "the California Department of Parks and
Recreation should exercise the legal authority it has to designate clothing-optional areas in state parks."
For the complete text of the petition and details of the publications, documents and public opinion polls
that make up the impressive list of exhibits, go to: http://www.naturistaction.org/ca.petition
WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?
The Naturist Action Committee is asking you to write to California officials, expressing your SUPPORT for the petition presented by the Naturist Action Committee and its partners. In this
instance, we need WRITTEN contacts (paper letters, faxes, e-mails). See the contact list, below.
WHO SHOULD WRITE?
NAC is requesting ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to contact California officials on this important matter, regardless of your place of residence. California
understands the importance of out-of-state visitors who come to enjoy the state’s beaches, lakes and streams. The opportunity to provide diverse recreational opportunities applies to those visitors, as well as to California
residents. While all are encouraged to make their voices heard, the participation of Californians is, of course, particularly important.
Send a letter, a fax or an e-mail. Phone calls will likely be ineffective in this
specific context.
California Department of Parks and Recreation
attention: Director Ruth Coleman
1416 Ninth Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814
E-MAIL: director@parks.ca.gov
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: 916-558-3160 (new number)
WEB-BASED E-MAIL: http://gov.ca.gov/interact
California State Park & Recreation Commission
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
Louis Nastro, Assistant to the Commission
E-MAIL: LNastro@parks.ca.gov
California Roundtable on Recreation, Parks and Tourism
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296
Nina Gordon, Chair
E-MAIL: ngordon@parks.ca.gov
California State Parks Foundation
Northern California, Headquarters
50 Francisco Street, Suite 110
San Francisco, CA 94133
FAX: 415-772-8969
Elizabeth Goldstein, President
E-MAIL: elizabeth@calparks.org
California Department of Natural Resources
Natural Resources Agency
1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: (916) 653-8102
E-MAIL:
secretary@resources.ca.gov
NAC encourages you to send copies of your faxes and paper mail to:
NAC, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903.
Send copies of your e-mails to:
CA@naturistaction.org
When you write:
a) Be polite.
b) Be known. Give your name and address. If you are a California resident or a frequent visitor to California,
be sure to point that out. Anonymous letters have very little impact.
c) Be focused. Keep your correspondence brief and on target.
d) Be positive. Remember that we’re trying to
ENCOURAGE the Parks Department to do something. Please do not take a scolding tone.
e) Be clear. Say that you SUPPORT the petition asking for designation of clothing-optional areas in units of the State Park
System.
A couple of additional writing points:
a) For thirty years, the Department’s Cahill Policy allowed a means to manage for clothing-optional recreation in units of the State Park
system. The nullification of the Cahill Policy has left the department with no statewide policy to address a form of recreation that’s obviously popular with the public. The submitted petition proposes a specific way to
address the management of clothing-optional recreation.
b) Rangers and park managers must NOT confuse simple nudity with lewd behavior. Rangers presently have the authority to stop lewd activity, and that
authority is separate and different from the authority the Parks Department has to establish areas for clothing-optional recreation.
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.
www.naturistaction.org
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. Fighting for the 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 contacted
the officials on the list, 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:
www.naturistaction.org/donate/
Thank you for choosing to make a difference!
Naturally,
Bob Morton
Executive Director
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 Allen Baylis - rab@baylislaw.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
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