Mitch London, the AANR-SW President, has starred in a wonderful cooking series “This Dude Cooks in the Nude”. In addition to bringing innovative ideas to AANR, he brings good food and fun to us all. Check it out at https://www.thisdudecooksinthenude.com/

It is mid-April as I write this column for the AANR’s June Bulletin. We are all staying at home. I have no idea what the situation will be when you are reading this column. I know that it will be different for all of us than it was just a short year ago. I hope we will be able to be gathered together and we will be able to celebrate Nude Recreation Week in ways we know and love. However, I don’t know if we will be skinny dipping in our club’s pools and at the beaches or in our bathtubs. Will we be sharing in potlucks or video conferencing while we eat? Will we be competing in 5K runs or doing nude yoga in our living rooms? What is most important is that we are being safe. We will be back together. If not now or in early July, then eventually. When we are back together, we will be able to embrace each other with joy and gratitude. And we will not take it for granted.
The nudist community is my community.
Community is seen in the friendships that we make among other nudists. I find that nudists tend to be more open and honest about who they are. We are willing to discuss serious topics and reveal our feelings much more quickly than in other settings. Being naked in public shows that you are willing to risk being vulnerable. That’s why, when I moved across the country and needed a new circle of friends, I was able to find new friends in nudist groups.
Community is also seen in our activities. When we come together, we dance, we eat, we run, we play games. We rejoice in gathering at our clubs and on the beaches. We hike together. We socialize.
Community stands together to tell the rest of the world that we are wholesome, caring individuals. We stand together when any one of us is threatened. Hundreds of us gather for World Naked Bike Rides. We gladly pose for art installations. It is much easier to stand as a group of 30,000 people than to stand alone. As a group, we work with legislators at all levels to understand who we are and what we need.
From now on, let us always remember to appreciate being together, to being able to hear and see smiles and laughs. Let us celebrate our community. If we are not yet able to gather together (or even if we can), let us find other ways to stay in community. Pick up your phone and call someone. Call your best friend. Call your family. Call your elderly neighbor. During the time of crisis, we learned to use technology to meet with people that are across the country. Continue to stay in touch via the internet. Screen time isn’t inherently bad. It can just be another way to communicate. Be creative. How can you have community?

The Stranger has compiled 48 livestreamed events for this weekend of April 3-April 5. Here are more places to go in your birthday suit.
https://www.thestranger.com/things-to-do/2020/04/03/43318902/the-best-livestreamed-events-to-watch-this-weekend-april-3-5-2020

As a member of the AANR Board, one of the questions asked by frustrated members is why does AANR allow club XYZ reject me just because I’m (single, gay, a person of color …)? And as a frustrated board member, I must answer all AANR clubs are independently operated and AANR has no way to force them to comply with AANR’s own principles and standards regarding discrimination. Each club makes their own rules and business decisions.
AANR is taking steps to encourage diversity. We can and do talk to clubs pointing out why it is financially sound to accept all members as long as they act appropriately. As of this year, AANR no longer favors couples over singles. Each individual, whether they are married or single, are equal in AANR’s eyes. It is a small thing, but it is a statement.
Here is an example of how one of our regions took a proactive stance in promoting non-discrimination. On April 15, 2018 the AANR-NW Board unanimously voted to reaffirm the AANR Non-Discrimination policy. Then, each of its clubs were given the opportunity to endorse the following statement:

AANR-NW reaffirms the AANR non-discrimination policy by-laws,
Section I Article IV A, “AANR welcomes all people willing to conform to
its principles and standards, regardless of age, gender, marital status,
religious beliefs, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.”
To AANR-NW this includes welcoming all single, partnered and married
people of all gender identities, ethnicities, sexual identities, ages, sizes,
religions and physical abilities.

Those clubs that have committed to this policy are listed on the AANR-NW website: http://www.aanr-nw.org/aanr-nw-welcomes-all/, As new clubs join the region, they are given the opportunity to join the list. By having this public list, individuals can decide where they want to spend their time and dollars. Whenever someone asks if they would be accepted at a club in the region, they can just be directed to the website.
This is just one example of how one of our regions was able to be proactive in AANR non-discrimination.
What more can be done? If you are in an area where a club has discriminated against you or if you are in an area where there are no clubs, let us know. Perhaps we can help you start a travel club. We can find people to help you. For help contact me at karen.lahey@aanr.com

This year, at the AANR Mid-Winter Board, we were able to pass the first budget in years that didn’t need a red pen. This is due to cost savings measures by the AANR office and the small dues increase that went into effect at the beginning of the year.
At this board meeting, the trustees decided to:
• Modify the Dues for Student to $18.
• Modify the Dues for Young Adults to be half of the Basic Rate and thus to be $18.
• Clarify the due dates for legislation amending Bylaws during an Election.
AANR elections are happening this year.
As an AANR-NW member, the offices that you will be able to vote for are:
President – Kathy Watzel, Gloria Waryas
Vice-President – Margie Cantlon
Secretary -Treasurer – Kathy Smith
Trustee – Karen Lahey
There will be several bylaw change proposals.
Two of these bylaw proposals came from the Membership Marketing Committee that I chair. The first proposal is the remove references to dual memberships. This change has already been made in the governance manual, but also needs to be made in the bylaws which needs membership approval. The other of these proposals is to remove the student membership class. We would move all Student Memberships into Young Adult Memberships. This covers more people and simplifies the membership structure.
A new mission statement will be presented to AANR members to be voted on during the election. It reads:
AANR Mission
AANR exists to protect, promote, provide and preserve nude recreation by:
Protecting nudists and naturists from policies at the local, state and federal levels that interfere with the right to enjoy clothing-free recreation in appropriate settings;
Promoting nude recreation by educating government leaders, employers and the public;
Providing support services and community to our members;
Preserving the financial viability, integrity and strength of the AANR organization.

The other proposed bylaw changes are:
• To remove the restriction that no two persons in the same family can serve on the AANR Board of Trustees at the same time.
• To add flexibility to when the AANR Convention may be held.
• To extend the due date for the annual certified audit.
The Membership Marketing Committee that I chair is tasked with membership growth and retention. I am lucky to have a strong group of people on this committee. Our current projects include finding ways to support current and grow new travel/non-landed clubs. We are also looking at who to help new nudist businesses get a start. Currently, we are developing a library of white papers that can be shared across the organization. But any new or different ideas are more than welcome.
If you have any ideas, questions or concerns, please let me know. My email is karen.lahey@aanr.com

The 2020 AANR-NW Spring Board will be held as an electronic meeting on April 4th at 10:00am. If any AANR members would like to participate, please contact mailto:secretary@aanr-nw.org.

In this time of social distancing, there are many activities that we have to sacrifice for the common good. Still, there are many opportunities to do things in the nude from home that you might not have considered.

For example, try using Google Hangouts or FaceTime or other conference chat apps with friends. You can just chat or hold virtual BYOB cocktail or tea parties, or potlucks (you only get to eat what you bring), or puzzle parties where participants do their own jigsaw puzzle while everyone chats.

Also, many entertainment outlets are providing free access to content.

You can visit 12 different museums from your couch – https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR3MJF83DcxaaWX6_mXdLLBOCqicodZuyP0u57iTn7X7Y08wdbo9wlJDgLE
Do you like the opera? You can go to the Metropolitan Opera
in your birthday suit.https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/
If the symphony is more what you enjoy, visit the Seattle Symphony at https://seattlesymphony.org/live. or the Berliner-Philharmoniker at https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/home?a=bph_webseite&c=true
Go to the 58th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival without leaving your house and without putting on any clothes from March 24-29 at https://www.aafilmfest.org/58aaff-live-stream
You can see a Broadway play or musical –
https://www.playbill.com/article/15-broadway-plays-and-musicals-you-can-watch-on-stage-from-home?fbclid=IwAR0cKd7l0ZUG31Pj3zr_eY8PrD5KUOrf8W0PUTogk_3mwgROyJ5LqT9ApIo

Send your ideas to share for the next issue to nudenews@aanr-nw.org During this stressful time, let’s work together to help one another find ways to keep entertained.

Lake Associates Recreation Club (LARC), a nudist park near Mt. Vernon, WA, officially closes for business on March 31st. The property which LARC has occupied since 1991 has been sold to new owners, https://getaway.house/. This means there will be no more fees or rentals. Nudity will cease on this date because the new owners may be around the property beginning in April . The sale of the property to Getaway.House was announced at the beginning of this year.

The LARC membership considered remaining active as a Non Landed/Travel club but has decided to disband. Club members and the Northwest region will surely miss the club. LARC members who choose to do so can become AANR Associate members on their own or join another club.

LARC members will need to leave by the end of April. There will be park wide yard/estate sales which are open to the public from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on March 28 and April 18.

SLUGS (Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies) have cancelled all of their events this week in order to keep everyone safe. The April Spa event has also been cancelled.

Last week, the NY Times featured an article about nudist living. The Joy of Cooking Naked. The article was written at Lake Como in Lutz, FL. The author did a great job describing how nudists live. The article was picked up by several other newspapers and was even discussed on the NPR Radio show Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me.

It is time to dust off your camera and start submitting your photographs for the third annual AANR-NW Photography Contest. Please take this opportunity to share your beautiful and stunning photos. And win cash prizes and accolades. The contest will have several categories. For each category that has at least five entries, there will be a $75 prize. The Grand Prize winner will be $150. The online deadline for submissions is July 12, 2020. If you wish, you can bring a print of your submission, with a digital copy, to the AANR-NW Convention at Sun Meadow Resort by July 15, 2020. You must own any photo that you submit. You must have a photo release for anyone in any of the photos that you take. The rules and how to submit your photos can be found at http://www.aanr-nw.org/2020-photography-contest If you have any questions, please contact photos@aanr-nw.org

Sometimes, being on a nude beach can be freeing, even if you don’t bare it all. Little Beach in Hawaii is featured in a story in the New York Times.

For those going on the Bare Necessities 2020 Big Nude Boat on the Carnival Legend this month, let’s get together at the pizzeria at 2:00 pm on February 25, the first full sea day. The pizzeria is in the buffet area on the Lido deck. This will be an opportunity to see old friends and meet new friends from the Pacific Northwest. I will be in cabin 5219 and will post up-to-date information and changes on our door. If you have questions, please contact me at karen.lahey@aanr.com.

A husband and wife had both removed their tops while installing drywall in their own garage when her stepchildren came in. She was charged with three counts of lewdness involving a child. These charges could carry a sentence of up to one year in jail and ten years on the sex offender registry. Being on this registry would prevent her from seeing her step children.
A Salt Lake City judge, Kara Pettit, rejected a challenge to these charges that the law was unconstitutional, saying, “The Court finds the government has an important interest in enacting laws to protect the health, safety, welfare, and morality of children, and to prevent them from being exposed to lewdness,”
You can read more about this case in Utah Judge Rules Against Woman Who Was Topless in Her Own Garage

by Karen Lahey – AANR Member Trustee
The 2020 AANR Mid-WInter Board Meeting meets this coming week at Suwannee Valley Resort in White Springs, Florida. The AANR Board meets in person twice each year, once in February and once in August, while we do work via email and phone during the rest of the year.
I am your AANR Trustee and will be representing you at this meeting. You can download the reports package from the https://www.aanr.com/members/member-downloads after you login to the website. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. My email is karen.lahey@aanr.com

You can get your raffle tickets for the Beaches Foundation Institute Fundraiser at https://beachesfoundation.org/fundraiser/. Beach Education Advocates for Culture, Health, Environment & Safety (B.E.A.C.H.E.S.) Foundation Institute aims at establishing amicable and mutually beneficial working partnerships with government, business, naturist beach advocacy groups and the public to design, establish and manage designated clothing-optional or naturist areas at public beaches

You can get your raffle tickets for the Beaches Foundation Institute Fundraiser at https://beachesfoundation.org/fundraiser/. Beach Education Advocates for Culture, Health, Environment & Safety (B.E.A.C.H.E.S.) Foundation Institute aims at establishing amicable and mutually beneficial working partnerships with government, business, naturist beach advocacy groups and the public to design, establish and manage designated clothing-optional or naturist areas at public beaches

BBC News published an in depth article about the top-free movement in the US on January 8, 2020. Does the US have a problem with topless women describes the successful Top-Free movement in Colorado. The online article includes other interesting links about nudism.

On Monday, January 13, the US Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by three women who were convicted for violating an ordinance in the city of Laconia, NH that makes it illegal to show bare female breasts in public. The New Hampshire Supreme Court had ruled that it didn’t discriminate against women, even though its definition for nudity is different for men than for women. See the NY Times story. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/01/13/us/13reuters-usa-court-topless.html for more information.

Avalon, a nudist resort in Paw Paw, West Virginia, lost its lodge to flames on New Year’s Eve during their Nude Year’s Eve celebration. Volunteer firefighters from three states responded to the call, but the lodge was a total loss. No person or animal was hurt. The aquatic center was not affected. The Nudsino needs some work, but can be fixed up. The Bare Barn was not touched. Avalon Resort hopes to reopen the resort’s amenities, indoor pool and Nudsino by Valentine’s Day.

<a href=”https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/25/nudism-naturism-florida-pasco-county?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR25w4RsUTI8RRqPKF6EFv8tAKi20jdX8BRGUxlKNDWz83meeMiEXTT1Ess”>Purists v partiers: the battle between two popular nudist resorts</a> by <a href=”https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jordan-blumetti”>Jordan Blumetti</a> in <a href=”https://www.theguardian.com/us”>The Guardian</a> compares two of the larger nudist/clothing optional properties in Pasco County, Florida near Tampa. Mr. Blumetti compares Lake Como, an AANR resort, with Caliente, a resort which is no longer associated with AANR.

The Willies annual food drive for the Helping Hands food bank exceeded all of our expectations and goals They have donated over 1,400 LBS of food and have raised well over $600.00 in cash donations and are still collecting until the first of January. This is such a caring, giving and sharing community. They also raise money for local scholarships and contribute to our local communities in many other ways. They consider that It is great to be a part of such a great community.

When you shop at amazon.com, you can donate to the AANR Education Foundation and it won’t cost you anything. Amazon’s smile program allows you to select a charity and 0.5% of the purchase price for most Amazon items will be donated to your cause. Search for and select AANR Education Foundation and from then on, you go to smile.amazon.com to do your shopping. If you have already placed some items into your Amazon shopping cart, you can always switch to smile.amazon.com and your items will still be in your cart.

The AANR Education Foundation’s objectives are to:

Seek partnerships with individuals, groups and organizations in support of the creation of art, literature, and scholarship, relating to the nudist world, its practices, and the wholesome nature of the human body.
Endeavor to develop educated persons and leaders in broad areas of society; and aim to improve people’s lives by developing community support for nudist resorts, clubs, groups and areas.

You are always encouraged to donate to the AANR Education Foundation (http://www.aanr-ef.org/). But here is a way to get Amazon to do it for you.

Nakations made the list of huge travel trends on the Canadian Talk Show, The Social with an interview with travel writer Heather Greenwood Davis  see https://www.theloop.ca/microcations-will-be-a-huge-travel-trend-in-2020/. The article says “Nude tourism is huge and has been booming for many years. You just have to be around in June when more than 70 cities hold their Naked Bike Ride to understand that. But this trend isn’t just about a skinny dip or a quick flash, these are travel experiences done au natural. Nude hiking, yoga camping, cruising, etc. The reasons for the trend make a lot of sense. There’s an argument that this is a push back to all the technology and superficial nature of social media, etc and there is also an argument that says this is about seeking human connection and embracing vulnerability.”.

A new member portal is being implemented at AANR and is coming soon. With this new portal, AANR will be able to be more efficient and better able to communicate with our members and you will be able to easily manage your membership information. You will be able to print your own membership card or view it on your smartphone. We are working to make sure that you will have easy access to nudist resources such as whitepapers, clip art and a larger library of archival Bulletins. As part of this process, your clubs’ officers will be able to more easily process your AANR memberships.
As part of the move to the new membership system, all AANR memberships will be individual memberships. Thus AANR is recognizing the value of the individual.
After ten years of no new dues increases, your AANR dues will be increased by .50 per month. This increase is in order with the cost of living increases across the years. Last February, a $150,000 deficit was predicted, and we needed to act to insure that AANR would be able to continue to stay a viable and productive organization.

Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park, an AANR club near Toronto, offered a 10 day art residency program earlier this year called Naked State. Its purpose was to encourage the exploration of the nude human body in the context of nature, culture and art. The expectation was that during the 10 day residency the artists live in the nude within the Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park community. You can read about one of this year’s artists in the Contemporary Lynx online magazine, “Art Residency: International artists live in the nude for ten days“

We are sad to report that we lost Fred Van Nest, the AANR East Member Trustee, on October 16 after a long battle with cancer. Fred was a long time member of AANR and served on the AANR-East Board of Directors before being elected to the AANR Board of Trustees. He was also active in working with the American Nudist Research Library in Kissimmee, FL. He will be missed.

The Portland World Naked Bike Ride date has been announced. It is June 27th, 2020.

The city of Fort Collins, CO made a decision on September 3, 2019  to remove references to a 2015 policy from its public nudity code that barred women and girls over age 10 from exposing their breasts in public.  The ban was unenforceable since February 2017, when a district court judge ruled it unconstitutional; the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that ruling 2-1 in February 2019.  The city spent about $120,000 and negotiated a $202,000 payment to cover the legal fees of plaintiffs Brit Hoagland and Samantha Six.   For more information, see https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2019/09/04/fort-collins-axes-topless-ban-inspired-free-nipple-lawsuit/2200123001/.

To our Members and Friends affected by the recent California Wildfires,
The Willamettans would like to offer a helping hand. We have plenty of RV spots with full hook ups, cabins and campsites available at reduced winter rates. If you are fleeing the fires, we will waive your grounds fees.
We offer a clothing optional resort with heated domed pool, hot tub, lodge, onsite pub, café, and lots of friendly members to commune with while here.
We are located 20 minutes outside of Eugene OR on 40 acres.
Open year round. Our office is open 7 days a week 10 AM – 6PM.
Register at <a href=”http://www.willamettans.com”>www.willamettans.com </a>or call 541-933-2809 and talk to Deidre or Heather.
We hope you are safe. We hope to see you again soon.

The Willamettans

We often work at cleaning our beaches, but don’t know if it matters. Mark forwarded a letter from a fellow nudist thanking the volunteers for our work.

Hi Mark,

I wanted to thank you for all the work you do for the Rooster Rock beach. We were there after the Portland WNBR event. It was breathtakingly beautiful. We had visited many amazing places before but nothing like this. What a magical view. It was so clean and very naturist friendly. We had such a wonderful time and felt very safe. I am deeply grateful for all your hard work to make and keep this beach what it is now. Thank you so much.

If I wanted to make a small donation to support the cause, what would be the best way to do so?

Kim P.

Although the nudist season is winding down in the Northwest, we still have the AANR-NW Fall Board meeting coming up from September 27 – September 29 at the Willamettans.  The board meeting is a great opportunity to find out what is going on in the region as well as meet new people and make great friends.  All are welcome.  The Willamettans has lots to do, including entertainment on Saturday evening, if you don’t want to spend all of your time in meetings.  Come and find why AANR-NW Board Meetings are a lot of fun!

Let the drum roll begin.  Congratulations to the Winners of the 2019 AANR-NW Photography Contest.

The Grand Prize Winner of the 2019 AANR-NW Photography Contest and the winner of the “At Your Club” category is Robert Dashiell with the photo “Bare Buns Fun Run Start”

The Winner of the “Nude, but not Nude” category is Mike Capshaw with the photo “At the Cafe”

The winner in the “Out in Nature” category is Alison with the photo “Nantucket”

The other winner of the “Out in Nature” category is Ron for the photo “Yoga Bare”

Come and have fun.  There is still tenting space available at Sun Meadow and rooms available at the Casino down the road.

The program can be downloaded from the AANR-NW website. AANR Convention

Help Kaniksu celebrate its 80th birthday at the AANR-NW Convention from July 18th – 21st.  There should be plenty of campsites for tents and smaller RVs.  Check with the office if you need a room or larger RV site.  Enjoy the traditional pool, the volleyball pool, sauna and hot tub, bocce, pickle-ball and volleyball courts.  Starting from Friday breakfast through Sunday lunch, meals will be available.  There will be  bocce ball, horse shoes, shuffle board, cribbage, and pickle ball tournaments, plus other fun events.  There will be personalized necklace or bracelet making,  as well as whiskey and Microbrew tasting.  There will be several seminars and informative sessions.   You will also get to vote on the 2nd Annual AANR-NW Photo Contest.  Children will have their own special area with crafts, a climibing wall, a playground and sandbox.

The AANR-NW General Assembly Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 21st.

Kaniksu’s Bare Buns Fun Run is the following weekend on July 28th, with activities and meals throughout the weekend.

On June 2, 2019, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) collaborated with the photographer Spencer Tunick to create a nude art installation in New York City to challenge the censorship of artistic nudity on Facebook and Instagram.   125 men and women stripped down and held giant photos of male nipples over their bodies to cover themselves.  The women also put male nipple stickers over their own nipples, since Facebook bans the display of womens’ nipples.

These photographers have the same problems with Facebook and Instragram and their policies concerning nudity that nudists have.  This campaign is #wethenipple.  Read more about this campaign at https://ncac.org/we-the-nipple

Four days later, on June 6th,  Facebook agreed to meet with a group of artists, educators, curators and activists.  They have confirmed that they will reconsider their policy.   Instagram, a photo sharing application,  is owned by Facebook.    However, at this time, nothing has changed.  You can still be banned from Facebook for sharing any nude

The 11th Annual Skin to the Wind Festival of Fun begins on July 10 at Sun Meadow Resort with a DJ Dance.  The fun continues with a Wine and Paint party, a WINR (Women in Nude Recreation) Gathering, sports and workshops.  Of course, there will be volleyball, disc golf, the pools, bocce ball and games with good food and good friends.

On July 11th, there will be a concert with Amber Sweeney, who is described as

“The fearless and passionate Los Angeles transplant has staked her place in the Northwest music scene. A vivid combination of sharp and deep songwriting and story telling, connection with the wide net of local musicians, and a compassionate connect to cause makes Amber impossible to ignore.”

— Inessa Anderson, Portland Radio Project

On July 12,  The W Lovers perform in concert.  They are described as:

“This is music for a hammock near a river, with a cold lemonade on a hot day. This is music for driving alone in the middle of the night. This is music that’s easy to listen to but hard to shake afterwards.”

—The Yakima Herald

And on July 13, Sundae & Mr. Goessl perform.

“Kate Voss tried everything from playwriting to piano teaching before discovering a home in the Seattle jazz scene—but she never really settled down. She juggles roles in indie, jazz, pop, and country bands, each with a unique sound aided by her smooth and versatile voice. Most of her recent shows have been duos with her husband under the name Sundae & Mr. Goessl.”

—Seattle Weekly – Best of Seattle  – Best Jazz Act

Tiger Mountain Family Nudist Park is holding a Naked Food Fest on June 29th from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm.  There will be food demonstrations by AANR-NW, TNS and Tiger Mountain members. Come enjoy food tasting, lunch, dinner and music.  $25 suggested donation.  Just want to eat?  Lunch $10 suggested donation.  Dinner $15 suggested donation.  Tunes by Angie Lynn after dinner from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

The 15th World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR)  in Portland, OR is being held Saturday, June 29.  It is expected to draw thousands of nude and nearly nude cyclists.  The event’s motto is “As bare as you dare.”  The official ride meets at 8PM at Laurelhurst Park, with the six mile ride starting at 9PM.  The official route is not disclosed.  You are discouraged from driving to the event.  There is a great FAQ at  https://pdxwnbr.org/faq/.

AANR-NW is one of the Full Monty Sponsors of this event.  They will be at Laurelhurst Park.  Stop by and say hi.  They may have something neat to give to you.  Tell them where you heard about the event.

As your AANR Trustee from this region, I want to let you know that your board has continued to stay active in between meetings.  We are acting on matters using electronic discussion and voting.  With the current challenges around the need for growth and the deficit budget, we realize that we have much work to accomplish and that it cannot happen during two short meetings per year.

I chair the Membership Marketing Committee.  We have found a new way that AANR will be processing memberships that will easier for members, clubs and for AANR.  It will offer ways to setup auto-renewal, which promises to reduce member loss.  Our committee is also proposing changes in membership that will make it easier for the office to process members and thus use more of their time to recruiting new membership.  These changes are tactical changes.  We must now work on strategic ideas on how to grow and retain membership.

While I am always open to your ideas.  Since the AANR Convention is in our region this year, you have the opportunity this summer to come to Idaho and learn what is going on and to participate in the discussion.  Elsewhere in the Nudescene, you can read about the fun time that is happening at the 2019 AANR Convention at Sun Meadow from August 12-18.   You can also come to the meetings.  You can talk to your officers and board members.  People in the audience are usually allowed to speak.  Please come.  Learn.  And Contribute.  We need you!

There’s still time to submit your photos for this year’s AANR-Northwest Photography Contest. Enter your stunning photos and win cash prizes and accolades.  The deadline for online entries is July 15, 2019.  Or you may bring an electronic version of your photo and a 8.5 x 11 print to the AANR-NW Convention at Kaniksu Family Ranch.  Judging, by attendees, will occur during the convention from July 18-20, culminating with awards on the evening of July 20^th.

This year’s categories are:

• Nude but not Nude
• Our Diverse World
• Out in Nature
• At our Club
• Other

For each category that has at least five entries, there will be a $75 prize. The grand prize winner will be $150.

To submit your entry:

1. Go to http://www.aanr-nw.org/photography-contest/
2. Download the photo release at http://www.aanr-nw.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/aanr-nw_photo_release.pdf , fill it in, scan or take a picture of it and
3. Upload the photo release, with your name, email, phone, agreeing to the rules as specified at http://www.aanr-nw.org/2019-aanr-rules/
4. Upload your photo, with its title and choosing its category.

Good luck.  See the winners from last year at http://www.aanr-nw.org/2018-photography-contest/

July and August are busy months when you like to be nude in the Northwest.

International Skinny Dip Day is July 13.  Find some water, find a friend, lose the suit and jump right in.

In the Spokane area, there is a “Skin to the Wind” Festival, a Fun Run and two conventions.

“Skin to the Wind”, July 10-14 at Sun Meadow, will feature sports, games, a Women in Nude Recreation (WINR) meeting and an opportunity to donate blood.  And lots of concerts: “Amber Sweeney”, “The W Lovers” and “Sundae and Mr. Goessl”

AANR-NW Convention, July 18-21 at Kaniksu Family Ranch is the Annual AANR-NW Convention.  The theme, to go along with Kaniksu’s  80^th Birthday is the 1980s.   The emphasis is on fun.  There will be numerous sports events, jewelry making and whiskey and microBrew tasting.  an AANR Town Hall and a women’s meeting is also planned.

“Original” Bare Buns Fun Run Weekend, July 26-28 at Kaniksu Family Ranch Is the 35^th running of the “Original” Bare Funs Fun Run and 80^th Anniversary of Kaniksu Ranch.  In addition to the fun are lots of sports and other fun activities.

AANR Convention, August 12-18 at Sun Meadow, will feature sports, games, workshops, a Wine & Paint Party, a WINR Meeting, another opportunity to donate blood, Single Malt Society, GAT Silent Auction, and the opportunity to meet and participate with AANR leadership.  And wonderful concerts with “McLeod 9”, “Scott Cossu”, “Jessica Lynne with Kat Bula”, a jam session and a DJ Dance.

In the Seattle area, we have runs and music festivals.

The Bare Buns Fun Run – West Weekend, July 12-14, at Tiger Mt Family Nudist Park is, starting with a Wine and & Chesse Party with “8 Second Rider”, on Friday, a Carb Load Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday and the race on Sunday.

Rustic Days ,August 2-4. at Lake Bronson with three fun filled days of gatherings, games and grub.

Nudestock 2019  Weekend, August  23-24, at Tiger Mt. Family Nudist Park.  Following a Wine & Cheese Party with “Mary McPage” on Friday, there are food vendors and concerts from “Champagne Sunday”, “The New Rhythmatics”, “Jeff Herzog & the Jet City Flyers” and “Auditorious”.

BARE IT Arts Festival at Lake Bronson, August 30-Sept 2, is a four day event celebrating creativity, features, dancing, interactive art events food and a Monday golf game.

In Oregon, we have music festivals.

SunFest Celebration, August 2-4, at Mountaindale Sun Resort JIM JIM fill in details please.

Music Fest, August 15-18, at Squaw Mt. Ranch is 4 days, 9 bands, good times.  This year the bands are “The Eric Savage Band” (Classic Rock), “MOJO Holler” (Acoustic Duo), “Scratching String Band”

I love nude travel.  People ask why nude vacationing appeals to me.  I like the way it feels to be nude – the feel of the wind on my skin and the peace of water as it skims off of my body.  I like the simplicity of packing and laundry.  In fact, I’m generally not even sure what to pack.  I like meeting other nudists, because they tend to be candid, open and welcoming.  On a nude cruise several years ago, the cruise director stood at the front of the audience and commented that he would normally suggest that we introduce ourselves to the people on our right and on our left, but that he knew we already had.  You really get to know who they are.  So rather than traveling and only meeting people superficially, you get to know the real person.  You get to make some real friends.  It is why when I go on a nude cruise, I run into so many people that I already know.  And living in the Northwest, it’s always great to get rays in the winter down south.

There’s a wide range of places you can enjoy nude vacationing.  There are large, luxurious resorts as well as rustic, back to nature camp grounds.  There are places to visit everywhere from high in the mountains to down on the beaches.  You can swim in the oceans, in lakes or ponds, in rivers, or in the many pools that grace our clubs, or just gather with friends in your hot tub.  You can attend dances, parties and movie nights at AANR clubs.  You can find everything from car shows to 5K runs, from potlucks to rock concerts.  Some clubs have even arranged special events like nude evenings at nude art exhibits, nude improv comedy nights, nude house boating and canoeing, or nude bowling.  Whatever you enjoy, you can probably find someplace to enjoy it in the nude.

Think of the ways that AANR helps you travel.  We help you find safe, family friendly parks to visit.  We support our current clubs, and help new clubs get started and grow.  We work to ensure legal challenges to our current parks and beaches are defended against.  We also work with current beach advocates and help to develop new nude beaches.  And of course there are the discounts that you get as an AANR member.

While there are many lovely nudist venues, there are large parts of the country where there are not any.  We need more.  This points to our many challenges.  How do we protect the venues that we have and create new ones?  As owners of resorts grow older and their heirs do not want to own a nudist park, as a community we can help to find new owners for these resorts in order to keep them nude.   We need to support and visit other clubs in our area and on our travels, in addition to our own club.  We need to provide ideas for activities and for growth.  We need to support AANR and its mission.

This St. Lucie County haven for naturists has openly thrived since 2014. Sheriff deputies tolerantly patrol and Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN) board members regularly consult with County Commissioners and staff. So what is really happening and why is the nude beach imperiled? The following will summarize conditions that are compelling a political fight in Florida’s State capital. Your help in the form of legal defense donations is needed to fund this battle.

The first unnoticed salvo occurred as far back as three years ago when the State of Florida, through its Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), sent a complaint to St. Lucie County. DEP objected to St. Lucie County government tolerating a nude beach on what it sees as State-owned land.

So what is the root cause of the State’s challenge to Blind Creek Beach’s nude use? Some quick background history will help readers better understand.

Background History on the Dispute at Blind Creek Beach

About 15 years ago, St. Lucie County established Blind Creek Beach County Park as an isolated Hutchinson Island preserve located immediately north of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. Before the county park’s officially startup, this same section of isolated shoreline was host to a long tradition of nude sunbathing and swimming. Begun as far back as the 1970s, the free beach attracted naturists from around North America. Skinny dippers encountered a pristine piece of coastline that was relatively free of arrests or harassment.

The Opening in 2014

In 2014, frank discussions between local naturist advocates, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Lucie County Attorney led to the recognition that this isolated stretch of beach and its tradition of family-oriented skinny dipping – did not run afoul of the state’s anti-nudity statute (SS – 800.03). As long as lewd behavior did not occur, County deputies would quietly patrol the beach just like any other. And so a grand social experiment began where local government tolerated and even cooperated with a naturist not-for-profit, the Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), in managing Blind Creek Beach. TCN patrols the shore, protects the sensitive dunes from human intrusion, funds and provides portable bathrooms to beach-goers, manages the parking lot, organizes beach clean-ups and town hall meetings, and operates a website ( www.treasurecoastnaturists.org) that educates the uninitiated about the freer norms occurring at this county park.

The Economic Argument for Naturist Beaches

The economic rewards from Blind Creek Beach are impressive. The number of tourists flocking to St. Lucie County has significantly increased. Many are attracted to the Blind Creek Beach experiment, so much so that it is now the most visited beach in the county. A range of 500-1000 naturists show up on weekends. Hotel occupancy is up. Restaurants have been filled by a new niche of family tourists. Behind the scenes both the business community and county government administrators have witnessed the unexpected. Home to one of only three successfully established nude beaches in the State, St. Lucie County has found itself in an economic sweet spot.

Since its inception in 2014, Blind Creek Beach has been successfully branded worldwide as a tropical, isolated, and unspoiled paradise for naturists. Tourists now come from Europe, the Caribbean, and South America to experience it for themselves, fill up nearby hotel rooms, and enjoy the many local restaurants. It’s understandably difficult for St. Lucie County to ignore this abundant new source of tourist dollars.

The Threat to Blind Creek Beach

Meanwhile in Tallahassee, DEP has repeatedly voiced objections to nude use on their land. DEP claims that since over 95 percent of Blind Creek Beach County Park’s leased tracts are actually owned by DEP (and the State of Florida), the department insists that is has standing to object. As part of its purpose, DEP plays a primary role in administering and protecting the state’s wild lands. Among others, these include the state park system, state wildlife refuges, and state preserves. What DEP overlooks is that it already has TCN as a committed environmental partner in helping to manage the county park.

For the past three years, DEP has repeatedly written threatening letters to St. Lucie County’s government administrators. They continue to demand that the naturist use be shutdown or moved away from Blind Creek Beach. The response from St. Lucie County has been largely silent. With the backing of business leaders and others, the county has chosen to let the grand experiment continue and thrive.

The Discovery of Trouble in March 2019

After repeated rumors of pending trouble, in March 2019 TCN wrote a letter to a long-time Tallahassee naturist advocate and lobbyist. TCN asked his firm to investigate several key questions. Is Blind Creek Beach’s naturist status actually in jeopardy? If true, how and why is it threatened? Last, who is at the heart of the objection?

Subsequent research in Tallahassee Uncovers a Real Threat

After careful research, the lobbyist discovered that yes, the State of Florida (through DEP) was getting ready to take immediate additional actions to compel St. Lucie County to close down all nude use of Blind Creek Beach. Since learning of this, TCN has committed to uncovering the answers and prevail in this dispute. The naturists refuse to back down or leave this beach. To win, TCN has officially hired the Florida lobbying firm of Maury Management Group. This company has a long successful record of representing both South Florida Free Beaches and Florida Naturists Association (SFFB) since 1994 and the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) in Tallahassee. Their normal purview is to watchdog and identify potentially harmful bills or legislation. But with TCN’s recent hiring of Maury Management, a far more intensive, assertive, and expensive work plan has been set in motion.

A Two-Step Process Will Save Blind Creek Beach and Potentially Open the Rest of Florida to Naturist Beaches

According to principal Ramon Maury, there are two steps that must be undertaken. Timing is important too. As an added benefit, the concentrated effort to save Blind Creek Beach could also lead to reopening former clothing-optional beaches that Floridians lost in the 1980’s. Step 1 encompasses placing a hold on DEP’s actions to quickly shut down Blind Creek Beach. Maury Management Group has opened up a dialog with each of the stakeholders in Tallahassee and is working to impose a temporary hold on all pending actions that might stop naturism at Blind Creek Beach.

Step II involves opening a conversation with the key players while the Florida legislature is still in session. We have one remaining month. Possible outcomes that appear to be within reach include rewriting state park rules and/or regulations that currently discourage the establishment of sanctioned nude beaches in Florida. Convincing arguments already underway include the economic perspective. Nude beaches are good for growing local economies, especially those that remain heavily dependent on tourist dollars and the service sector.

Is There Any Good News?

The good news is that Step 1 is underway and Step II has begun. But this fight is expensive. For it to be won, it will take more naturist donations.

What Can You Do?
You can donate to the Cause

• Donate so that you may continue to visit Blind Creek Beach as a naturist and so that others across the USA and from foreign lands can continue to enjoy this pristine beach.

• Give so that we can also open up the opportunity for establishing more clothing-optional beaches around the State. At the moment, other international and regional naturist organizations around the country have been contacted by TCN for help.

• The Treasure Coast Naturists, the Naturist Action Committee, the Naturist Education Foundation, The Naturist Society Foundation, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute, and South Florida Free Beaches have all committed financial and in-kind resources to the fight. AANR, through its national and Florida region, has also been asked to join the battle.

Please Help Save Blind Creek Beach

Please donate to TCN’s Legal Defense Fund.

Donate to this GoFundMe campaign to help stop the threat, protect our nude beach, and possibly open new naturist opportunities across Florida.

Reprinted by permission from the Treasure Coast Naturists GoFundMe page.

We are visiting St. Martin this week and are dismayed to see the devastation at Club Orient.  Club Orient was a beautiful clothing optional resort situated on Orient Bay in St. Martin that was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017.  Some of the units are just gone.  Many of the remaining ones are hulks, just the concrete outside structures.  It is beyond sad.

While visiting, it is still possible to rent beach chairs and umbrellas for the day.  Only the Perch beach bar has been restored so far, and is open until about 4pm for drinks and meals.  So it is still possible to enjoy the beach.

The owners are still trying to settle with the insurance companies, and as of February, they were hoping to rebuild and reopen by next season.

Come to the AANR-NW Spring Board Meeting and stay for Destination Asia.  AANR-NW Board Meetings are open meetings.  The next meetings start on April 6th at 10:00am at Mountaindale Sun Resort .  At the meetings on Saturday, you will get to hear what the various committees are working on and you will get to voice your opinions.   And you will get to meet many interesting people.  After the meetings on Saturday, you will get to go on a plane ride to Destination Asia.

This unique experience of sights, music, and tastes of Asia will be presented in the MSR clubhouse, converted into an airliner, where a unique variety of short films will be shown as tasty Asian inspired cuisine is served by our extraordinary flight attendants during the journey.

Come fly with us, April 6, 2019, Boarding begins 5:30 pm.

Reserve your seat for only $15.

Due to limited seating, reservations recommended.
Enjoy a sneak preview of the flight at:
https://youtu.be/1kNUVz9VW-E

For more information about the experience or to make reservations, please contact:
asia@mountaindalesun.com

The AANR-NW Board Meeting reconvenes on Sunday Morning at 9:00am with the official Board Meeting.

Please come join with your AANR-NW Board.

At the AANR Mid-Winter Board in Lutz, Florida, we trustees concentrated on the problem of a deficit budget and fewer members.  While we in the Northwest had minimal growth last year (about 5%), overall AANR saw a loss in membership.  This continues a serious trend.  We know that Nudism needs AANR.  Again and again, our opportunity to be nude is threatened and our communal efforts to work against those threats make all of the difference.  The 26 years that AANR has lobbied and created a network of friendly legislators and NCSL (National Conference of State Legislators) makes a difference.  Having people watch for unfriendly legislation makes a difference.  Having legal advice with you are personal threatened because you are a nudist makes a difference.  And this happens regularly.

But the word doesn’t get out.  People don’t know who or what AANR is.  We aim to change that.  There will be a new feature in the Bulletin about legal issues that have been worked on by AANR.  Read it.  Point it out to your friends.  And tell your friends about AANR and why we are important.  If not for AANR, it’s like the old question.

Who’re you gonna call?

Respectfully Submitted,

Karen Lahey

karen.lahey@aanr.com

Michelle Sutherland, dressed in costume as Virtus (Virtue), a figure on the Virginia state seal, was arrested while advocating for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and initially held without bail in Virginia.  After three days, her lawyer was able to secure her release from jail.  Her arrest and confinement was for a single count of misdemeanor indecent exposure.  It still stands.  The Washington Post story is at https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/02/21/protester-bared-her-chest-womens-rights-virginia-now-shes-being-held-without-bail

Local media reported this month that The Everett Community Healing Center (aka Common Ground) is in danger of losing its right to do business in SE Portland.
Everett House is a shining example of a Northwest business that is reinforcing the historical connection between nudity and health. Since 1982, the facility has featured clothing-optional hot tubs, saunas, a steam room, flotation tanks and licensed massage therapists.
The article is here:
www.wweek.com/news/city/2019/01/23/a-beloved-urban-hot-tub-oasis-is-imperiled-because-its-parking-is-being-turned-into-apartments/
The Everett House shares some common goals with nudism: to promote body acceptance and promote a healthy lifestyle. Reporters for local papers have written articles describing their first nude experience there as “magical.”
But the future is very uncertain at this point. Nudists are encouraged to do what you can to help.
How You Can Help:
Sign the Petition!
There is an online petition at The Petition Site.com, called “Support the Everett House Healing Center.”
www.thepetitionsite.com/964/312/178/support-the-everett-healing-center/

Fifteen months ago, O’naturel opened its doors to nudists, giving them the opportunity to dine in the all together.  Two non-nudist brothers, Mike and Stéphane Saada, hoped to cash in on the growing popularity of nudism in France.  Unfortunately, they have lacked enough business to continue and the restaurant will close on February 16.  See the article in the Washingon Post,  “Paris nudist restaurant closes because not enough people want to hang out”.

Some 35 years ago we naturists had many of our Florida naturist beaches taken away from us when beaches such as Honeymoon Island and McArthur Beach became Florida State Parks and the Park System imposed an anti-nudity park code.
There is overwhelming popular demand by locals and tourist visitors alike to re-establish naturist use at these Florida State Park beaches as officially-designated, European-style, family-oriented, clothing-optional sections of beach, but elected officials haven’t heard from YOU!
YOU MUST SPEAK UP!
Tampa Area Naturists (TAN – TANFL.com ), in alliance with B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute (beachesfoundation.org – the non-profit organization co-mentoring Haulover Beach with South Florida Free Beaches – sffb.com ) and its 24-year Tallahassee government affairs firm, Maury Management, seeks to replicate the successes at Haulover Beach in Miami and Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce where strong family values, amenities, parking and Beach Ambassadors are the norm.  To re-establish naturist use at Florida State Park beaches, starting with Honeymoon Island near Tampa, TAN needs YOUR immediate support and signing of our petition!  TAN must collect 10,000 signatures of support before local and state officials will consider the request to be serious and meritorious.  Therefore, YOU are the most important factor in making this dream a reality.  YOUR signature will carry YOUR voice to elected Florida state and park officials.  Clothing-optional beaches are good for tourism, family-centered recreation, and most importantly, the local economy.  To fulfill this dream, we NEED YOUR SIGNATURE!
PLEASE SIGN PETITION AT:  tinyurl.com/tandip
You can choose to make your name, city/state/country, comment and date signed publicly displayed OR you can un-select that box, making that info accessible only privately to TAN.  Tampa Area Naturists wholeheartedly thanks YOU for your support!   We look forward to hosting you, your family and friends in the very near future in the paradise we call “West Coast Florida.”
Please get 10 of your friends and family to sign to maximize your impact!
You can also like and follow TAN on our Facebook page at: facebook.com/TampaAreaNaturistsa

The 13th annual international juried exhibit Au Naturel: The Nude in the 21st Century will be on display from January 14 through March 24, 2019 at Clatsop Community College’s Royal Nebeker Art Gallery located at 1799 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR. Gallery hours are from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturdays from 11:00
a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The gallery is open on Sundays and holidays by appointment only. If the rules from last year are the same for this year, it will be free and open to the public. The 2019 press release is not yet out, but should be here soon:
http://www.aunaturelart.com/pr2019.php
Further info at: http://www.aunaturelart.com/gfx/poster2019.pdf The photo gallery from last year’s show is at http://www.aunaturelart.com/gallery.php?yr=2018

Good News, Everyone! Starting in January Nudeprov will be on the last Sunday of every month for the entirety of 2019! The NudeProv group said, “Since our last ‘Nudes Only’ show went so well, we’d like to continue to foster a safe, welcoming, body-positive atmosphere, and sense of community by making all our shows exclusively for nude audiences for the foreseeable future. All are still welcome at Nudeprov (just as long as you’re all naked)!”

Tickets: http://bit.ly/Nudeprov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/475193666303415/

Performances are seen at the Pocket Theater at 8312 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103. To purchase tickets, click https://thepocket.vbotickets.com/event/Nudeprov_Improv_Comedy/24799. Improv is a kind of unscripted comedy where the audience participates by suggesting topics.

Once again, a social media platform, Tumblr, has conflated nudity with lewdness and banned nudity  As part of the naturist community, it is important that we are aware of the dangerous message that this proclaims to all. We should not take it in stride that of course it is OK to ban nudity.   We need to make sure our message is heard — our message  is that Nude is NOT Lewd.

Tumblr is a social media platform that allows individuals to create micro blogs.  There were many naturists, including professional photographers, that did just that.  However, Verizon bought Tumblr in 2013 and then Apple banned the Tumblr app from their store.  So, with 14 days notice, Tumblr banned nudity from postings on December 17, 2019.   It is still permissible to post textual pornography on Tumblr, just not nude pictures.

Many people have found this ban to be offensive.  From the New York Times,  The Problem With Banning Pornography on Tumblr by Jessica Powell, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/opinion/tumblr-adult-content-pornography-ban.html , “This is not the first time a social media or blog platform has banned adult content. Twitter, Facebook, and many other platforms all prohibit pornography. But in the United States, we seem to ignore public debate about the censorship of sex and the human body, reflecting the American tendency to get more offended by the sight of a female-presenting nipple than by guns, hate speech or violence.”

The challenge is how to fight this trend.  Of course finding a place to host your nudist blog is one part of the what needs to happen.  One substitute that I can direct you to is www.mewe.com, which has reached out to refugees from Tumblr.  On a different front, while I don’t expect to be able to change Tumblr, Verizon or Apple’s mind, I do want to tell everyone I talk to about their misjudgment of nudism.  Spread the word.  If we all talk about it, maybe it will eventually make a difference.

AANR’s Challenge

As you receive this bulletin, I am preparing to go to the Mid-Winter Board Meeting.  We will be discussing one of the greatest issues currently facing AANR.  That issue is declining membership.  We have been talking about this problem for quite a few years.  While we have tried various things, we have yet solved this problem.  For example, we are in the process of revamping our membership process in order to streamline it.

But I need ideas.  Your ideas.  All ideas.  Thinking out of the box ideas.  What would make AANR more attractive to new members?  Why are you an AANR member?   Please help.

My email address is karen.lahey@aanr.com

Thanks for your help,

Naturally,

Karen Lahey

The 2018 AANR-NW Fall Board is convening at Sun Meadow Resort on September 28th-30th. The AANR-NW board consists of a director that is either appointed or elected from each of the clubs in the region as well as a director that represents those AANR members that do not belong to a club. However, everyone is encouraged to attend and participate in the board meetings. The wide representation within the board means that every club is represented. It also means that the board is a fairly large group of people who have worked together, getting to know one another. We have a good time, both at the great entertainment, including a DJ Dance Saturday night, as well as just in getting to see our friends.

Come to Sun Meadow for the Fall Board Meeting. Please remember, there is room for everyone to participate. And we would love to welcome you at the board meeting. Try it, you just might like it.

Member Trustee Report

Thank you to everyone for your confidence in electing me to be AANR Member Trustee from the North West.  You have my pledge to be available to you for your questions, needs and concerns.  My email is karen.lahey@aanr.com.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I was appointed chair of the AANR Membership Marketing Committee, which is responsible for membership recruitment and retention, marketing plans for growth in membership and the subcommittees WINR (Women in Nude Recreation) and Singles.  We are moving ahead in finding a replacement to the membership and accounting software for the AANR office.  The current software is very old.  Its replacement will make it easier for certifying officers to do their jobs, as well as making the jobs of the office staff easier.  New software will make reporting more transparent.  And this new package will make the other changes that we hope to make to membership easier to implement.

Some of the tactical issues that this committee will address are new ways to reimburse clubs for selling AANR memberships, auto renewal, moving to all individual memberships, permanent cards, etc.  Strategically, how to grow new AANR memberships is the primary objective.  As in all things, your ideas are encouraged.

Joan Harris is the subcommittee chair of WINR (Women in Nude Recreation), which  is working on how clubs need to react in this era of #METOO.  At the convention, she asked us to answer several questions that we may want to ask at our clubs.  Just asking the questions is instructive and is a great discussion starter.  1. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for telling members and guests what behavior is expected at our venue? 2. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for what a person should do if she/he has a problem? 3. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for how we respond to reported problems? 4. Do guests and members know to whom problems/concerns should be reported? 5. How do we know they know? How are we making sure?

Joan is also the chair of the planning committee.  Ralph Collinson is chairing a subcommittee of the planning committee to survey our current and past members to find out why they value AANR.  (Or don’t value AANR.)

Lastly, I was able to be at trial with John Brower, a former SLUGS president, who was cited for being nude at the World Naked Bike Ride earlier this year in Houston.  John was relieved to have his case dismissed because of great legal representation.  AANR-NW also supported John financially.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Lahey

Thank you to everyone for your confidence in electing me to be AANR-NW Member Trustee.  You have my pledge to be available to you for your questions, needs and concerns.  My email is karen.lahey@aanr.com.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

As chair of the Membership Marketing Committee, we are moving ahead in finding a replacement to the membership and accounting software for the AANR office.  The current software is very old.  Its replacement will make it easier for certifying officers to do their jobs, as well as making the jobs of the office staff easier.  New software will make reporting more transparent.  And this new package will make the other changes that we hope to make to membership easier to implement.

The Membership Marketing Committee shall be responsible for the following and related aspects of the Association: Membership recruitment and retention, marketing plans for growth in membership and the subcommittees WINR (Women in Nude Recreation) and Singles.

Some of the tactical issues that this committee will address are new ways to reimburse clubs for selling AANR membership, auto renewal, moving to all individual memberships, permanent cards, etc.  Strategically, how to grow new AANR memberships is the primary objective.  As in all things, your ideas are encouraged.

Joan Harris is the committee chair of WINR (Women in Nude Recreation.  Her committee is working on how we can react in this era of #METOO.  At the convention, she asked us to answer several questions, that we may want to ask at our clubs.  Just asking the questions are instructive and great discussion starters.

1. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for telling members and guests what behavior is expected at our venue?
2. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for what a person should do if she/he has a problem?
3. Do we have specific policies and procedures in place for how we respond to reported problems?
4. Do guests and members know to whom problems/concerns should be reported?
5. How do we know they know? How are we making sure?

Joan is also the chair of the planning committee.  Ralph Collinson is chairing a subcommittee of the planning committee to survey our current and past members to find out why the value AANR?  (Or don’t value AANR?)

Lastly, I was able to be at trial with John Brower, who was cited for being nude at the World Naked Bike Ride earlier this year in Houston.  John was relieved to have his case dismissed because of great legal representation.  AANR-NW also supported John financially.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Lahey

The citation against John Brower, past president of the SLUGS, for being nude at this year’s World Naked Bike Ride in Houston was dismissed at Houston Municipal Court on Thursday morning.  John’s lawyer had filed a motion to quash, from which the judge ruled to dismiss.  AANR-NW had voted to support John financially, making sure that John knew that they had his back.

Earlier this year …

John Brower, a past president of the SLUGS (Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies), was ticketed for “disorderly conduct – exposure” at the WNBR  (World Naked Bike Ride) in Houston, and the charge was later increased to indecent exposure, even though the DA apparently stated that the activity didn’t rise to the level of indecent exposure.  John was the president of the SLUGS in the early 2000s, and moved to Houston about ten years ago to be with his new wife and to take a new job .  He first participated in the WNBR in Seattle.  Since moving to Houston, his major nudist community has been with the WNBR folks.  This ride was the 8th annual WNBR in Houston and he was on the planning committee. This ride was well advertised.  While clothed in a sarong, he was ticketed in the parking lot before his ride even began because of a complaint.  The complaints were specifically about nude men.  No one else was ticketed, even though there were nude women, and John wore a sarong through most of the event since he was the trailing rider  On his lawyer’s suggestion, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of indecent exposure.  This ride was a protest for body freedom, cyclist vulnerability, and against oil dependency.  We can support John in his fight by donating to a fund that will help cover his attorney funds at https://www.gofundme.com/john039s-court-case. 

Three honor awards were given at the AANR-NW convention at Squaw Mountain Ranch in July.

The first two awards were member of the year.  This award is given to an AANR-NW member for their contribution in promoting and/or furthering nudism at the regional level during the previous calendar year.

2018 AANR-NW Members of the Year are:

Terri Capshaw from Sun Meadow

Terri has been a  member of both AANR and AANR-NW for over 33 years.

During this time she has helped co-ordinate and run the children’s activity tent at both the AANR and AANR-NW conventions along with her husband, Mike Capshaw.

She has served as AANR-NW Treasurer since 2010 when she was elected to the office.

In addition to these duties,  she functions as a co-owner of Sun Meadow Family Nudist Resort since 2008.  She officiates both the volleyball and bocce ball tournaments as well as acting as a weekend exercise guru with her morning walks and yoga classes.

Additionally, Terri received the President’s Meritorious Award from Karen Lahey in 2016 for support above and beyond the normal expectations of her position.

Terri sits on and contributes to the AANR Membership Management system Selection Committee which is in the process of replacing the database in the AANR office.

Therefore, I respectfully submit that Terri Capshaw be considered and recognized for her many hours of service and dedication to AANR-NW as a nominee for Member of the Year.

Mike Parker from Hidden Springs

Over the years, Mike has continued to contribute to AANR-NW in many ways.  He is our librarian and spends many, many hours archiving our history at the library at the Willamettans.  He is our Public Lands Liaison and works to make nudism safe in the wild.

In particular, in the last year, Mike organized the Travel Club Event in March.  This event brought together members from most of our travel clubs and one of our landed clubs.  It highlights the best of AANR-NW in that it shows how our clubs work and play together.   We want to recognize his effort in pulling this together.

AANR-NW Presidential Award

Donna Jennings from Sun Meadow

Each year, the regional president may choose a recipient of the AANR-NW Presidential Award.  This year’s award goes to Donna Jennings for her work as Vice-President and other work to support the region and the president.

The winners of the 2018 AANR-NW Photography Contest were selected at the AANR-NW Convention at Squaw Mt Ranch on July 22, 2018.  There were entries in all categories and active participation in the voting.  Interest was great enough that it is likely that this was the first annual contest and there will be another contest next year.  Stay tuned, the decision will be made at the upcoming AANR-NW Fall Board Meeting.

And now for the winners.

The grand prize winner was: SunMeadow2 – by Bob Timbers  (who was awarded a prize of $150)

This picture also took 1st place in the “At Your Club” Category with a prize of $75.

1st place in the “On the Beach” Category with a prize of $75 went to Andee Rodgers for  “A day at the Beach”.

1st place in the “Other” Category with a prize of $75 went to Shirley Gauthier for “AWWWWW”

1st place in the “In the Woods” Category with a prize of $75 went to Mark Gauthier for “Free!”

1st Place in the “Nude, but not Nude” Category with a prize of $75 went to Andee Rodgers for “Reflections of an Angel”

The performers at NudeProv have announced a nude only performance of Nude Prov for August 19th at 8:30pm at the Pocket Theater in Seattle.  This will likely be the the last of their performances this year.  For this performance, all of the audience will be in the buff, as well as the performers.

The Hiking Oregon Naturally Annual Tour 2018 (HONAT) started July 23 at Mountaindale Sun Resort and goes until July 29.  This annual tour of hikers from the Sisiyou Hiking Bares was highlighted in the Rogue Valley Messenger  http://www.roguevalleymessenger.com/bare-season-is-here-local-meetup-group-sheds-their-threads/.  This article is a great read about nude hiking and nude recreation.  The hike is already underway.  Contact the group of over 250 members at https://www.meetup.com/Siskiyou-Hiking-Bares/?_cookie-check=Q29dTjzQNFoLslOH for more information about next year.

Starting on July 19th, Squaw Mt Ranch is hosting the AANR-NW Convention with a celebration of their 85th Birthday – http://www.squawmt.com/aanr-2018-convention.  The party continues until  Sunday, July 22. Grounds fees are $10 per day per person. Camp sites cost $10 per night and RV spaces with electricity and water are $13 per night.   The snack bar will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner starting on Thursday evening.

Come join in for a fabulous weekend of fun. Enjoy a live band, dancing in the buff, karaoke, poker night, disc golf, wine and beer tasting, fantastic food, and so much more.

On Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the other fun activities, you are also invited to participate in the AANR-NW meetings.  The forums and committee reports are on Saturday  and the general assembly is on Sunday morning.  This weekend is about you, the AANR member.  It differs from the Spring and Fall board meetings.  It is a member’s meeting  Clubs are represented by delegates selected by their respective clubs.  During this weekend, we will be selecting officers for the next two years, voting on a bylaw change capping the legal fund and selecting the location for the convention in 2020.  It is during this weekend that a director is selected from among the associate AANR members to represent the associates for the coming two years.  However, we will discussing many other topics, including any that you want to talk about.  Come bring your ideas and questions.  Your are wanted..

John Brower, a past president of the SLUGS (Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies), was ticketed for “disorderly conduct – exposure” at the WNBR  (World Naked Bike Ride) in Houston, and the charge was later increased to indecent exposure, even though the DA apparently stated that the activity didn’t rise to the level of indecent exposure.  John was the president of the SLUGS in the early 2000s, and moved to Houston about ten years ago to be with his new wife and to take a new job .  He first participated in the WNBR in Seattle.  Since moving to Houston, his major nudist community has been with the WNBR folks.  This ride was the 8th annual WNBR in Houston and he was on the planning committee. This ride was well advertised.  While clothed in a sarong, he was ticketed in the parking lot before his ride even began because of a complaint.  The complaints were specifically about nude men.  No one else was ticketed, even though there were nude women, and John wore a sarong through most of the event since he was the trailing rider  On his lawyer’s suggestion, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of indecent exposure.  This ride was a protest for body freedom, cyclist vulnerability, and against oil dependency.  We can support John in his fight by donating to a fund that will help cover his attorney funds at https://www.gofundme.com/john039s-court-case. 

Susan Weaver has resigned from the AANR board. This means that Peg Lane will also be on the incoming AANR board as Club Trustee for Tier 6-7.

The nudist community lost one of its great friends and mentors in Turner Van Cortlandt Stokes last weekend.  Turner passed away on Saturday at age 90 from prostate cancer. Turner Stokes was the president of the ASA (the forerunner of AANR) from 1986 to 1988.  Turner was an activist who in the early 1980s formed the National Capital Naturists with Lee Baxandall to create and nurture a nude beach on Assateague Island.  When local officials sought to ban nudity on the beach, they organized a legal battle to oppose the ban. See https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/878/128/167307/   The battle for a nude beach on Assateague Island continued in various ways until it was given up as a lost cause a few years ago.

An archived interview with Turner Stokes gives insight into the person that he was.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1984/08/19/the-outlook-interview-turner-v-stokes-politically-active-nudist/49db6968-ed21-4ff4-9733-1cc97239be4a/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2cfe3a1ab108

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/turner-v-stokes-champion-of-the-unclothed-dies-at-90/2018/06/25/92214dd4-788b-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ccf505477c5e
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turner-v-stokes-leader-nudist-movement-has-died-90-180969475/
• https://www.npr.org/2018/06/26/623640838/wear-nothing-but-a-smile-prominent-nude-activist-turner-v-stokes-dies-at-90

• Ronna Krozy – Club Trustee Tier 1-2
• Lewis Dreblow – Club Trustee Tier 1-2
• Robert Roche – Club Trustee Tier 3
• Joan Harris – Club Trustee Tier 4
• Beverly Price – Club Trustee Tier 5
• Susan Weaver – Club Trustee Tier 6-7
• Margie Cantlon – Club Trustee Tier 6 -7
• Fred Van Nest – AANR East
• Ralph Collinson – AANR Florida
• Terry Meek – AANR Midwest
• Karen Lahey – AANR Northwest
• Ted Peck – AANR Southwest
• Walt Stephens – AANR West
• Bob Campbell (who we have sadly lost but whose replacement will be selected by AANR-WC) – AANR Western Canada

According to http://www.inspiredtraveller.in/places-in-the-world-where-public-nudity-is-legal/ , there are five countries in the world where you really have the right to be nude and they are all in Europe.  Spain is the most liberal country.  Nudity is allowed in certain places in Germany.  Within Munich, six official ‘Urban Naked Zones” are found in parks just a few minutes from the city center.  As long as you are not acting weird, it is legal to be nude in the Netherlands.  In France, the law neither allows nor bans public nudity.  Public Nudism is also widely accepted in Norway.

At the beginning of May, AANR members who were current on March 15, 2018, should have received an email with their voter’s registration code.  It will have been sent from  elections@vote-now.com.  The subject was AANR Ballot.  This email contains detailed instructions on how to cast your vote.

If you did not receive this email, call the AANR office at 1-800-TRY-NUDE to get help.  They will help you get your registration code.  The AANR Office is located in Kissimmee, Florida, so call during the week before 1pm Pacific Time.  If you share your email with another AANR member, one of you may need to use a paper ballot, so don’t delay since there will be postal delays in sending paper back and forth across the country.  Actually, I encourage everyone to vote now so that you don’t forget to do so.

On April 15, 2018 the AANR-NW Board unanimously voted to reaffirm and describe the AANR Non-Discrimination policy as stated here.  This was done to give a positive way to answer the questions posed by potential visitors about whether they would be welcomed at nudist clubs.  For example, questions we have heard are whether they are too big or too old or they’re a single man.  Being able to point to the website is an easy way to answer such questions in a positive way.

The AANR-NW Non-discrimination policy reads as follows:

AANR-NW reaffirms the AANR non-discrimination policy by-laws, Section I Article IV A, “AANR welcomes all people willing to conform to its principles and standards, regardless of age, gender, marital status, religious beliefs, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.” To AANR-NW this includes welcoming all single, partnered and married people of all gender identities, ethnicities, sexual identities, ages, sizes, religions and physical abilities.

Clubs will have the opportunity to also affirm this policy, They can let the region know and they will be listed on the regional website (http://www.aanr-nw.org/aanr-nw-welcomes-all/), with the policy, starting after June 15th.

I have been a member of AANR since 1998 and joined AANR-NW when I moved to the Northwest in 2004.  Since then, I have served in the region as a member of the Board of Directors, as Vice President and as President.  As Digital Communications Chair, I created the program to provide free web services that are available for all of our clubs.  I have been the editor and publisher of the Nude News for the last 10 years.  The purpose of this publication is to remind nudists of why we need AANR, that our freedom to be nude must be protected.   Currently, I am the chair of the AANR committee to replace the membership management software package that AANR has been using for decades.  We want to replace this software to make it easier for clubs to manage memberships and to give the office more time to generate excitement for new members.  I also serve on the board of the AANR Education Foundation.

While serving AANR-NW, I have been awarded the AANR Woman of the Year Award, the AANR Presidential Meritorious Service Award twice, the AANR-NW Woman of the Year Award twice, and the AANR-NW Presidential Meritorious Service Award.

We have many important issues facing us. We need to find a new Executive Director.  We need to continue to retain and grow our membership. We need to protect nudism from those that wish to restrict our freedom.  We need to promote and normalize nudism.  We need to find ways for all members to feel safe within nudist venues.  To do this, we must figure out who we are and what we stand for as an organization.  If we don’t, how we can plan for the future?   Let’s get clarity on who we are and then let’s build the organization to fit it.

I listen. I lead by example.  I bring people together.  I am a problem solver.  I come up with innovative solutions.  And I follow through.  I ask for your vote so that I can work for AANR like I have worked for AANR-NW.
For more information, please see http://www.karenlahey.com

In the May AANR bulletin, you will get information about how to cast your AANR ballot.  To be eligible to vote, you must have been an AANR member on March 15th of this year.

There are three contested contests.  They are President of AANR, Member Trustee of our Region and Club Trustee for Club Tier 6-7.  There are also two ballot proposals to consider.

Two years ago, the Northwest had the largest turnout of all of the regions for the election, just over 10%.  While that is in keeping with other membership organizations, we can do better.  This year, let’s redouble our efforts and make a difference.

But, please take the time to vote.  It will be as simple as logging into the voting site and pushing a few buttons.  Easy to do.  Worth the effort.