Naturist Action Committee Alert asks for your support in California

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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: November 23, 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 involvement in an effort to have the State of California create officially designated areas for clothing-optional recreation in state parks.

CALIFORNIA STATE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION
The California State Park and Recreation Commission is NOT the same thing as the State Parks and Recreation Department. The Commission has specific authorities and responsibilities which are defined in California law. Those include the approval of general plans for units of the State Park System, classifying units of the System, establishing general policies for the guidance of the Director of State Parks in the administration, protection and development of the System, and recommending to the Director a comprehensive recreation policy for the state.

As allowed by law, NAC and its allies have submitted a petition asking that portions of specified state parks be set aside for clothing-optional recreation. The State Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has simply ignored the properly submitted petition.

Meanwhile, since DPR has chosen to make selective termination of the longstanding Cahill Policy, there is presently no statewide or comprehensive policy that addresses the responsible nude use of portions of state park units.

NAC is looking for the State Park bureaucracy to assert some leadership. The Commission has the authority and the responsibility to establish general policy and to recommend policy to DPR, and that’s what NAC is seeking.

ACTION 1: ATTEND COMMISSION’S PUBLIC MEETING ON DECEMBER 10
If you’re in the southern California area, NAC requests that you attend a public meeting of the State Park and Recreation Commission that is scheduled to be held in San Diego on Friday, December 10, 2010.

DATE: Friday, December 10, 2010
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
LOCATION:
Old Town Theatre
4040 Twiggs Street
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
San Diego, California

Members of the public will have the opportunity to give brief statements. But whether you speak or not, your presence is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to lend support to the message of naturists.

We seek the setting aside of areas for clothing-optional recreation in State Park units.

There are few items on the December 10 meeting agenda, and the meeting is likely to move quickly. Please plan to be at the the Old Town Theatre no later than a half hour before the meeting starts.

If you’re planning to attend the meeting, please contact:
NAC board member Allen Baylis
rab@baylislaw.com
(714) 962-0915

or NAC executive director Bob Morton
execdir@naturistaction.org
(512) 282-6621

ACTION 2: WRITE TO THE COMMISSION
If you’re unable to attend the meeting, you can still help. NAC asks that you write to the Commission. Send your comments by e-mail, fax or surface mail. Those who will be at the meeting on December 10 are also encouraged to write.

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 State Park & Recreation Commission
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296
FAX: (916) 654-6374
Louis Nastro, Assistant to the Commission
E-MAIL: LNastro@parks.ca.gov

Send a copy to:

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


WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?

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.

Additional writing points:

a) This is NOT just about San Onofre State Beach. Although that beach was the first State Park unit at which DPR has killed its policy for managing clothing-optional recreation, it will not be the last. The present lack of a comprehensive statewide policy threatens ALL clothing-optional areas in California State Park units. Consider the implications for Black’s (Torrey Pines), Gaviota, Bonny Doon and many others.

b) 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.

c) Officials of the Parks and Rec Department have pointed to lewd behavior as a reason for prohibiting nudity. In doing so, they have confused simple nudity with lewd behavior. Rangers presently have the authority and responsibility to stop lewd activity, and naturists encourage them to exercise that responsibility appropriately. However, that specific authority is separate and different from the legal 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,

Allen Baylis
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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Entire contents © 2010 Naturist Action Committee, Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.


Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Located in Sunny Palm Springs, California
Our resort site at: http://sunnyfun.com
Visit our Resort Facebook page at: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Owner of clothing store threatened with disorderly conduct for a pantsless mannequin

If I didn't read this on a UPI site, I would have said this is a joke. Above is a photo of a mannequin. What is obscene about it.

Here's the story:

"Pantsless mannequin sparks obscenity debate

A Nebraska store owner considering legal action against his city claims police broke the law by covering a window displaying a mannequin with its pants down.

The Beatrice Police Department said officers used tape to cover a portion of the window at Hannah's Treasures because a citizen complained and Kevin Kramer, the owner of the store, could not be reached, the Beatrice Daily Sun reported Tuesday.

Police said the complaint was focused on the mannequin's lower region, which was exposed due to its pants falling down to its feet.

Kramer said he called police to ask about the tape and was told to report to the police station, where he would be cited on a disorderly conduct charge...

However, Kramer said he contacted lawyer Dustin Garrison and the police department dropped the charge when he threatened action against the city on allegations of trespassing, destruction of property and littering on the part of officers...

Tobias Tempelmeyer, city attorney, said the case would hinge on whether or not the display was obscene under the law...

For the full story click here

I don't know what's worse, the cops putting up the tape or a busy body citizen complaining to the police. If I was a cop, I would have laughed right in that citizens face and said "we have important things to worry about, not pants falling down off a store mannequin."

Because of scary people like that citizen and the police in that town, we need organizations like AANR and TNS to help protect our nudist rights.

Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Sunny Palm Springs, CA
Our resort site: http://sunnyfun.com
Visit our Resort Facebook page: http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage
For more information or reservations, call 1-800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada).

Nudist Resorts and Facebook - Study shows only 6% of corporate Facebook fan pages have 2000 friends or more

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Leisure Travelers in the US save American taxpayers $950 a year per household in taxes

Every week I normally have a few guests ask me why aren't there more nudist resorts in the US or Canada. One of the answers I tell them is enough nudists do not support our industry. These people never belong to AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation, FCN or TNS.

They never tell their non nudist friends that they like vacationing at nudist resorts.

They may go to nude beaches or a nudsit place for a short weekend, but they go to the Caribbean or Mexico and vacation at non nudist owned naked places. In short, there aren't more nudist resorts in the US and Canada because there isn't enough support for them.

The Terra Cotta Inn is the ONLY nude vacation resort in the western US. Yet, I would bet 90% of our guests do not belong to nudist organizations. If we had to rely just on card carrying nudists we would be pretty empty instead of one of the most popular of ALL hotels in Palm Springs.

Now we have been open 15 years. We know many nudist places do not deserve support as they do goofy, non business friendly things. I just read online of one place that had DJ's come to play at their nudist resort for free and then the resort charged the DJ's $10 for parking. Obviously, that really bothered the DJ's as they posted they would never do it again and were mad because they played for free and were charged for parking.

Or a few nude resorts are cheap and won't even let you bring your own bottled water to drink poolside. There are no textile resorts that I have ever known of that are that cheap.

I went looking online to try to find out the impact of tourism in the US. I found this press release put out appropriately enough on April 14th, 2010:

"Spending by Travelers Saves U.S. Taxpayers Hundreds of Dollars on Tax Day
Each American Taxpayer Would Owe $950 More in Taxes This Year without Tax Revenues from Travel Industry

According to the U.S. Travel Association, American taxpayers would have to pay an average of $950 more per household on “tax day” if not for the tax revenues generated by travel and tourism to and within the United States.

“Take a moment to extend some friendly hospitality to the tourists in your city or town today – the money they spend has saved you nearly one thousand dollars in personal taxes this year,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The leisure or business traveler staying at the nearby hotel, eating at a local restaurant, shopping or visiting a local attraction is keeping your local economy vibrant and putting money in your pocket.”

The money travelers inject into the economy often means more money for civic development, infrastructure and state and local jobs such as teachers, firefighters and police forces. In 2009, travel spending by U.S. and international visitors resulted in more than $111 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local government. Of that total, $77.3 billion came from leisure travel and $34.2 billion was generated by business travel, including meetings and conventions...

Travel is a $704 billion industry that generates tax revenue and jobs across the country. One in 13 American workers is employed either directly or indirectly by the travel industry. In addition to those directly employed by the industry, millions of Americans are indirectly employed as a result of the business generated by travel..."

For the full article click here

Just imagine how much nudism would blossom in the US if people stopped going to non nudist owned naked places in Mexico and the Caribbean.

We probably reinvest into our resort a higher percent of our revenue than any other nudist resort in the US for upgrades and repairs and not increasing our rates. We have not increased rates for 3 years and do not intend to do so next year.

We average a 80% occupancy rate year round. Could you imagine the upgrades we could have if we had a 90% occupancy rate.

So next time you spend money going to an over priced place in Mexico or the Caribbean, where all they care about is your money, just think of what your vacation dollars could be doing to promote nude recreation in the US and Canada.

Support nude recreation. Vacation only at places that are owned by nudists.


Tom Mulhall
Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa
Resort site: http://sunnyfun.com
Friend us on facebook at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

For more information or to make reservations, call us at 800-786-6938.

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Naturists and nudists need to support nudist resorts

Koreans support other Korean businesses. So do the Chinese, Poles, Mexicans, etc. Gays support other gay businesses. Almost all minorities and ethnic groups support their own ethnic businesses.

Sometimes I think the ONLY people who do not support their own businesses are nudists.

This year more than ever, I have had people come here for day use and stay at a textile hotel. Almost all of them are AANR or TNS members or belong to a club. They never even call us for our rates as they just assume we will be overpriced like the naked places in Mexico or the Caribbean and thus they overpay to stay at an inferior textile hotel instead of staying with us.

It happened again this weekend.

We had a couple who are members of Glen Eden which is a big nudist club about 70 miles away. They called Saturday for day use. We told them we had a room available that night and we were told no they got a great "deal" at a textile hotel, so they would only be coming by for day use.

When they got here, we learned they were staying at the Ace Hotel. It is one of the trendy hotels du jour. They have a PR agency, so they are generating a lot of press. They're advertising tiny rooms with double beds (not even queens, we have California king sized beds) for $99/night.

Sounds reasonable good until you get the other expenses and see your small room. When you get there, you have to pay a resort fee of $25/night, breakfast is about $35/couple/day, and day use at our resort is another $30/day. So the textile hotel "deal" cost $405 for 2 nights. Plus they couldn't check in until 4pm and had to leave by noon. Where we allow 10am check in and 5pm check out at no extra charge.

If they had stayed at our resort, in December before Christmas we have a special of stay 1 night, the 2nd is half priced. Our rates with tax would have been $282.65. No resort fee, no charge for breakfast, or wine and snacks in the afternoon or day use. Thus, they would have saved $122 over the weekend by supporting our resort a nudist resort instead of the textile hotel chain who doesn't care about them. And they could have been nude all weekend.

Yet, when I asked them why they didn't book us as we were considerably cheaper for a superior facility, they told us they never called us or any other nudist place in Palm Springs. They just assumed we were more expensive.

This isn't the first time this has happened to us this year where card carrying nudists booked textile hotels, never called for rates as they just assumed we were more expensive and thus overpaid.

Running a nudist resort is a very hard business. It is a labor of love as you will not get rich at it like you would owning textile hotels. You have to believe in nudism and nudists to own and operate a nudist resort. Am I frustrated, you bet.

Probably only 10% of our guests are members of AANR or TNS. The people who should be supporting nudist resorts are the ones that don't. Thus we had to create our customers. As we have been told many times, we have probably created more nudists in the US than any other resort or club. Even people who have never been to our resort have told us they finally went somewhere because of reading our blog, our tweets, talking to us many times on the phone, etc.

I have no answer on how to get nudists to support nudist businesses in the US. Do you?

This year I have worked harder than ever marketing online. Last year I work 60 hours a week. This year I average about 75 hours a week with the additional time being all online marketing. This year I have had 5-6 so called "true nudists" tell me that I promote my business too much online. They said if I didn't stop promoting it on twitter, facebook, here, etc they would not go to my resort because they are tired of seeing the name Terra Cotta Inn all the time online.

Now I wonder, did they e-mail Coke, or Budweiser Beer saying they promote their products too much and if they didn't stop advertising on TV, they would never drink another Coke or Bud again? Of course not. Yet, they tried to intimidate a small nudist business into not marketing online. And those people have never been to my resort! And I'm supposed to take marketing advice in the worst recession since the 1930's from them? Why won't many nudists support their own in the US.

Thus, I promote to first timers as I know once they book here they will become our repeat guests as we are a FANTASTIC VALUE. In November MSNBC picked us as one of the 3 best deal nudist hotels in the whole US.

So nudists, please call and talk with us before booking a textile hotel in town and overpaying for your vacation. And call and talk with other nudist places before you vacation somewhere else. And stop going to all the naked places in the Caribbean and Mexico. Most are NOT owned by nudists. That's why they gouge you. Nice places like Cypress Cove in Florida and us in the US are fantastic values as MSNBC said.

And first timers, you're lucky as you get to stay in one of the best small resorts in all Palm Springs. This December in Palm Springs Life Magazine, the Best of the Best issue, we were selected as one of the top 3 boutique hotels in ALL the Palm Springs area, pretty cool for nude sunbathers.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 for more information or to make reservations.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Make your next vacation Terra Cotta Inn, We're a Bargain

The Terra Cotta Inn was just mentioned on MSNBC as being a bargain vacation resort. Yet, we still find some nudists are fooled by come ons from textile resorts and book textile instead of at our resort.

A couple of weeks ago we had a couple here, their first time, that stayed at a trendy textile hotel in the Palm Springs area. They came to our resort everyday for day use.

I asked why didn't you book there, why didn't you book with us. The guests were members of The Naturist Society, TNS and had been nudists for about 15 years. I was told "Frankly we booked at a textile hotel because it was cheaper. We have to watch our pennies this year."

Now I know we're considered the best value of ALL hotels and resorts in Palm Springs. We can't beat Motel 6 prices, but then there is a world of difference between them and us as far as amenities, quality and true value.

The day use couple told us, where they were staying, it was only $99/night. They said it was on "sale" 50% off and our resort was $149/night and not on "sale." Now I know the place they mentioned. They do the sneaky resort fees and pay for parking and breakfast. And I know their $99/night rooms are really tiny and are a come on to up sell people.

And I know all year long their tiny rooms have been $99/night with the phony 50% off sale. Whereas their rooms that are nice sized rooms like ours are $169/night.

So I said, OK you paid $99 for 7 nights that's $693. They said no, the weekend rate was $139, it's only $99 midweek (I didn't know that). So they paid $813 for the week. They then paid $175 in resort fees, $154 in parking, they spent on average of $30-$40 for breakfast ($6 orange juice and $4 coffee plus tips add up) or about $245. Then they spent $160 on day use fees at our resort for 6 days. All together their $99/night room cost them for a week = $1547 or $221/night. And they had to wear bathing suits in the evening at their hotel to use the jacuzzi which they complained about all week long.

Our weekly rate is $959/couple/week or $137/night or 38% cheaper!!! Plus, we give the guests complimentary snacks in the afternoon. There are NO hidden extras.

People need to look at the overall cost of their vacations, not the come on price.

Sadly this couple told us they never called us or the other nudist places in Palm Springs. they just saw the ad for the $99 50% off and booked there without giving any nudist resort a chance to show what great values we are.

Nudists need to support the nudist organizations like AANR and TNS. And they need to support the nudist industry. I will bet we lost about 3% in occupancy this year from nudists staying at textile hotels with false economies of savings and coming here for day use.

I've always been telling readers that our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa is the best value resort in Palm Springs. And now Chris Elliott of MSNBC agrees by mentioning us. Yes, we are a fantastic value which is one of the reasons why we are so popular.

We are NOT overpriced like the nudist Caribbean and Mexican places owned by non nudists. We are the best value in town

For more information about our resort, the Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa, visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Or give us a call at 800-786-6938.

We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time.

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

One out of every four pageviews on the internet are on Facebook

Wow, Facebook is becoming a thousand pound gorilla of web traffic. One out of every 4 pageviews is a facebook pageview. That's BIG!!! More and more businesses are marketing through Facebook. Nudists need to get a better presence there too.

Nudiarist, who writes the best nudism blog showed the amount of traffic that nudists sites get in his blog post here: click here

He rightly commented:

"It's interesting to see how the national organizations fare so poorly when compared to commercial sites like Clothes Free International, blogs like mine, and the social networking sites. It's clear that AANR and TNS have let the Internet get away from them. AANR is trying with their blog and forum, but they are still woefully behind sites that do a much better job."

Here's the article about facebook's popularity:

"I was reading an article the other day that revealed Facebook in the UK accounts for 1 in every 7 pages viewed on the Internet. I thought wow, I knew Facebook was big but did not realize it was that big. Then I wondered what this statistic is in the US..."

In the UK, Facebook accounts for 15% of the total pageviews (or 1 in 7). In the US Facebook accounts for, now get this, 1 in every 4 or 25% of our total pageviews. Unbelievable!

Google on the other hand accounts for only 8% of the total pageviews (or 1 in 12)..."

For the full article click here

Now the article says facebook is more engaging, people play games there like farmville, mafia wars, etc. that use up pageviews. But still facebook is a major heavy weight on the internet.

So how has nudism done on facebook? AANR's site has 820 fans. TNS has 683 fans. Myself, I have 815 friends and The Terra Cotta Inn resort page has 514 fans. Skinbook has 1912 fans, Angye Fox the marketing person at Caliente has 1634 friends, and Cypress Cove has 142 fans.

Those are pretty pathetic numbers for nudism, even for me. My twitter account is almost 2500 followers.

Now maybe it is hard to get fans and friends on facebook and that is why the National nudist organizations have so little. Are people afraid to join as facebook is public and others will see that they are fans of nudism? That could be.

But then twitter is public too where everyone can see who you follow. And I have almost 2500 followers there. And on facebook there is a fan page called Sleeping Naked. It has 147,757 fans. That's right almost 150,000 fans and it is a persons page, not an organization. So obviously not everyone is afraid to say they enjoy doing something naked.

As I said, nudism is pathetic on facebook.

Oh well now that we know, time to do better.

If you want a fun vacation, now is the perfect time to vacation at a clothing optional resort. Give us, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938.

We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Friend us on facebook at http://facebook.com/terracottainn

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Nudist Organizations you should join in the US

A poll in 2007 from the Roper Organization showed 25% of Americans have gone skinny dipping in mixed company. Earlier this year, the Y Partnership Travel Leisure Monitor showed 10% of Americans were interested in a nude vacation.

That is a lot of Americans who are interested in nude recreation.

There are 2 great organizations that work very hard to promote nudism in the US. They are mainly staffed by hard working volunteers. There is the American Association for Nude Recreation, also known as AANR. They do a fantastic job in promoting nudism as being normal and fun, something for the whole family to enjoy. Their website is http://aanr.com

In my opinion, through AANR's positive public relations programs and messages, especially in the last 10 years, they have shown nude recreation to be wholesome and fun. They are doing a great job making it appear mainstream and normal. We are proud to be a member of this fine organization and have been members since sometime in the late 1980's or early 1990's (I forget).

AANR has a legal defense fund. This is very important as many government entities want to take away your rights to enjoy nude recreation. We have donated free room nights to raise money for the AANR legal defense fund and a number of years ago, we donated a free week at our resort as a major fund raiser. I encourage everyone to join AANR and to contribute to their legal defense fund.

The Other major nudist organization in the US is The Naturist Society also know as TNS. Their website is http://naturistsociety.com
We were members since the early 1980's, but no longer.
The Naturist Society does a good job promoting nude recreation and they were the organization that pioneered nude recreation week which is one of the best public relations events showing nudism in a positive light. They also have a legal defense fund. It is here http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
If you enjoy nude recreation and want to see it flourish in the US, I encourage everyone to join one or both of these fine organizations and contribute to one or both of their legal defense funds.

Has AANR Become Outdated? Commentary by the AANR President

There are two major nudist organizations in the US. AANR which is the American Association for Nude Recreation and TNS, The Naturist Society.

I am on the AANR West board of directors http://aanrwest.org IMO, AANR in the last 10 years has done more for mainstreaming nude recreation than ever before, and more than any other organization. They have earned the expression the credible voice of nude recreation.

The President of AANR just wrote an article for Pasco Naturally newspaper. Here it is reprinted from AANR's blog:

"For the second time in 15 months, the AANR Board of Trustees voted to suspend the charter of a major club in Florida. The particulars were different, but both centered on the board’s feelings that the marketing practices of the clubs were contrary to our principles and standards related to sexual exploitation of the human body. In 2008, the issue was Caliente which invited swinger groups to sponsor “theme nights” at the resort and planned to sponsor a booth at “Swingfest.” This year it was Paradise Lakes which scheduled a “Miss G String” contest with non-nudist models and planned to air the event on the Playboy Channel under the theme “69 sexy things to do before you die.”

The AANR ruling documents provide that “A charter may be temporarily suspended by the President if charges are filed by the pertinent regional division or the suspension is approved by the board of trustees; such suspension to be effective until the next in-person meeting of the board of trustees.” Suspension is not a finding of guilt. It gives the association time to complete further investigation and gives club management time to develop an appeal before the charter is revoked. In both cases, club management decided to withdraw from AANR before the process could be completed.

Management of both clubs told me that economics were the reason for their decisions. They claim that traditional nudists do not spend the dollars on room rentals, meals and drinks that are necessary for the resort to be profitable. They need to reach another audience with the propensity to spend more money. I understand the problem. AANR, itself, has experienced a drop in membership as have nearly all membership organizations. As we manage our organizations, we need to adapt and do things differently in order to survive. However, we also need to step back and remember what we stand for.

In the past several years, AANR has been very successful in changing public perception about nude recreation. Major media outlets have featured nude recreation as a legitimate recreational choice. AANR has also been very successful in changing the viewpoint of elected officials and government agencies. We have differentiated ourselves from the adult business industry. We are being recognized as the credible voice of reason for nude recreation. The affiliation with AANR has enabled many clubs to get building permits, liquor licenses, and sometimes to be allowed to exist. That public trust cannot be jeopardized.

This past summer, AANR sponsored The AANR World Record Skinny-Dip. Club owners and beach organizers reported that many people participated who had never before been nude in mixed company. The press reports were the greatest we have ever seen for an event. Clubs signed up new members. The event portrayed wholesome family nude recreation. No one confused it with a strip show or a swinger convention. The event told me that, with focused marketing, our resorts and AANR can grow in membership without a sexual tone.

One of the resort owners told me that “the only thing acceptable to AANR is sitting on a log watching a campfire.” I think that most AANR members would disagree with that assessment. Times have certainly changed from the 1950s when I became involved as a child. We have more tolerance. But, most of us see that there is a line which should not be crossed if we are to be true to our brand and to the promises we gave to public officials. The AANR plaque on the wall of a club or participating business needs to stand for something. Sometimes we need to take a stand to enforce that.

I am sorry to lose two clubs with wonderful facilities which have provided a destination resort for many AANR members and potential members. My wife and I have visited both many times. I also feel for the members who have invested thousands of dollars to buy a condominium in a resort that has changed its image. My personal hope is that the management of these resorts re-examine their marketing strategy and agree to uphold the principles and standards of AANR.

After years of fighting for our right to exist, it’s a bit strange to hear from a club owner that we may be “outdated.” We walk a tough line between ultra-conservatives who would outlaw our clubs and the adult industry which wants to piggy-back on our success in bringing public acceptance. We know our niche and what it takes to protect our brand. And, we draw the line."

For AANR's Blog click http://aanr.blog.com

One of the most important sentences in this post is "Management of both clubs told me that economics were the reason for their decisions. They claim that traditional nudists do not spend the dollars on room rentals, meals and drinks that are necessary for the resort to be profitable."

Nudists only have themselves to blame for losing both Paradise Lakes and Caliente resort to becoming swinger and sexual oriented clubs. Every time a nudist vacationed in the Caribbean or Mexico at a non nudist owned naked place, it took money away from the real American nudist clubs. I bet, less than 20% of our business at Terra Cotta Inn comes from AANR and TNS members. Further I have found most AANR & TNS members only want to stay at our resort on weekends and go to the non nudist owned places in the Caribbean and Mexico for a week.

Nudists, if you want nice places in the US, WAKE UP!!! You have to vacation at them. STOP going to naked places in Mexico and the Caribbean that laugh in your face charging you sometimes over $100 a night more to stay on the "nude" side. Stop going to these places where to eat nude you have a hamburger shack, and the prude side has all the nice meal options. Otherwise, some day you will wake up and say, where did all the nice nudist resorts in the USA go? It's happening already.

AANR does a great job in supporting nudist rights in the US. You should also support them by belonging to this fine organization.

Now if you want to take a fun vacation, give us a call at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa located in sunny Palm Springs, CA.

We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time. You don't even have to be a nudist to vacation with us.

Become our Facebook friend at http://facebook.com/terracottainn

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/nudist_resorts

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

For nudism to grow, nudists need to support nudist resorts and organizations

Well, it happened again for the 2nd time in about a month that I know of.

We gave a tour today to a couple from Washington. They are members of Lake Bronson nudist campground in Washington and have been members there for many years they said.

They were in Palm Springs for 4 nights. They booked last minute to get out of Seattle's rain. They stayed at the Hilton.

I asked them why they stayed at the Hilton especially since this time of the year we have our special of stay 1 night, the 2nd is half priced and we are much cheaper than the Hilton. Plus there are other nudist places in Palm Springs. By staying at the Hilton, they wasted almost $375 extra compared to if they had stayed at our resort for those 4 nights.

Their answer was, "the Internet said it was going to rain. We didn't want to be at your nudist resort in the rain." Naturally weather.com was 100% WRONG as usual and we had great sunny weather this weekend. Also if it rained, you can still use our jacuzzi in the rain. And at the Hilton they had to wear bathing suits at the pool which they complained to us about. Imagine nudist club members choosing to wear bathing suits at a Hilton on vacation instead of saving money and staying at a nudist resort that was only 3 miles away.

I said to the people "wouldn't you want to support nudist businesses in Palm Springs in this economy instead Hilton which doesn't support nudism?" They got defensive again saying, "but the Internet said it was going to rain."

Do you want to know one of the biggest reasons nudism is growing so slowly or not at all in the US and why many clubs have closed or gone swinger in recent years? American nudists do not support nudist resorts or organizations enough in our own country. And these are the places that generate all the positive PR about nudism to grow the industry.

Immigrants support neighborhood businesses of their fellow countrymen. Gays stay at gay hotels and use gay businesses when practical. Nudists however are very fickle.

Now nude vacationers who do not belong to the nudist clubs or organizations like AANR support our resort. Probably 95% of our guests do not belong to nudist clubs or the nudist organizations. We work on them trying to get them to join AANR, but it is a hard sell. Because of nude vacationers, we had the 2nd highest occupancy rate of ALL hotels in Palm Springs. If we had to rely on nudist club members, we would be out of business.

Nudists that already belong to clubs should know better and support American nudism. But, many of them do not support American nudist resorts enough. Especially since American nudist resorts are such a great value.

Further like at our resort, about 10% of the revenue we take in goes to improvements at our resort to benefit guests and we don't increase the rates. We have always done that to make every ones vacation experience nicer. Last year we had an 81% occupancy rate. It would have been nicer if it was 85% and guests would have benefited more.

Many nudist club members go to the Caribbean or Mexico to vacation at resorts that are not owned by nudists. They then go back to their clubs bragging how they spent $5000-$7500 for a week vacation. These nudist club members should be supporting the American nudist resorts instead and they would save themselves thousands of dollars at the same time. What they spend on the built in travel agent commissions alone for a week long stay at these places, would pay for 3-4 nights at an American nudist resort.

Caliente in Tampa which has swinger parties said nudists did NOT support them enough and swingers do. They have bills to pay, thus they cater to swingers. Nudists have no one to blame but themselves for Caliente's policy change

I do not know how to change this thought process of the experienced nudist club member. But, just remember, every time you book at a non nudist hotel or at a nude place not owned by nudists, you forfeit your right to say "why aren't there more nudist places to go to in the US," because you are part of the reason.

Let's make 2009 the year that American nudists decide to support nudist clubs, resorts, and organizations in the US. Only vacation at American nudist resorts this year. Join the AANR and/or TNS.

For information about vacationing at The Terra Cotta Inn, call us at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

lee Baxandall founder of TNS, The Naturist Society has passed away

Friday, November 28, 2008
************************************************************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ADVISORY
************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
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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 : 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


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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
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Experts not always right - Nudist or not

Business Week has an article reminding people to not always blindly follow the advice of experts. When we first opened our nudist resort 13 years ago, many so called nudist experts gave us some advice on how to "successfully" run our resort.

The advice we were given was to cater to weekend business, have a bar, book lots of single guys because they drink a lot and our bar will be our major profit center, sell memberships and only have AANR or TNS members stay at our resort, book families with kids, and more bad advice.

Even non nudist experts gave us bad advice telling us that only Southern Californians vacation in Palm Springs, California so don't waste our marketing efforts trying to attract the out of state or out of country market. Because we ignored them, about 80% of our guests come from out of state or out of country and we are busy 7 nights a week, not just Saturday nights like typical small hotels in Palm Springs. Now small hotels and our hospitality industry is saying palm Springs should target the out of state out of country market.

Luckily, we ignored everything they told us to do and we are the most successful and popular nudist resort with vacationers in the western US.

Here is the story:


"Give Advice That Fits

Small business owners often take advice from well-informed, experienced people. After all, they can be quite compelling, as they seem to know better or to know more. When following such advice backfires, you can find yourself second-guessing your decision to listen in the first place. So when the stakes are high, it’s critical to balance others’ expertise against your own intuition.

Give yourself permission to reject expertise—no matter how remarkable its pedigree—that doesn’t pass that test. By checking advice for a good fit, and acting accordingly, your integrity remains intact."

For the full story click here

So if you have always wanted to stay at one of the best nudist resorts in the US according to tripadvisor.com, AOL.com and many more publications, give us The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!