NAC Action Alert - California: American River
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NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
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http://www.naturistaction.org
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Copyright 2007 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible for
its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.
DATE : May 23, 2007
SUBJECT: California: American River
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens
Dear Naturist,
This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee concerning an
important opportunity in the state of California.
In conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the California
Department of Parks & Recreation is continuing its development of a joint
General Plan / Resource Management Plan for the Auburn State Recreational
Area (Auburn SRA). Naturists have already made themselves a significant
part of that process, and it is essential that we continue our high level
of involvement.
IMPORTANT TO ATTEND PUBLIC WORKSHOP #2
NAC is strongly requesting your attendance at an important public
workshop. This is the second in a series of public events that will help
shape the future of the Auburn SRA.
DATE: May 30, 2007
TIME: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM PDT.
LOCATION:
Canyon View Community Center, Foothills Room
471 Maidu Drive
Auburn, CA 95603
NAC will have personnel at the public workshop / meeting. It’s important
that naturists have a significant turnout. Even if you don’t intend to
speak, please plan to be there.
A BRIEF HISTORY AND DISCUSSION
The American River area is largely funded by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Under a 1977 contract, it has been operated by California State Parks as
the Auburn State Recreation Area. Generations of Californians and others
have enjoyed the tradition of nude recreation along the river.
Decades ago, a large dam was planned for the American River. Preparation
for the dam project included construction of a diversion tunnel to take
the river’s water around the dam site. To avoid the tunnel, river rafters
have had to remove their craft at the Highway 49 bridge, near the
confluence of the river branches, more than 3 miles upstream from the dam
site.
Geologists found the dam to be sited on an unstable fault, and the
project was eventually abandoned. The river channel reclamation effort at
the dam site now includes plugging the diversion tunnel. Rafters will
eventually be able to take the main channel. A few CA Parks officials
concluded that the prospect of user conflict between rafters and
naturists should be resolved in advance by banishing the naturists.
In the summer of 2006, rangers from the State of California Department of
Parks and Recreation began telling park users along the American River
that nudity would no longer be permitted on the river near Auburn, and
that signs banning nudity would be posted in the area. The
clothing-optional sites that were most threatened by the proposed
prohibition were located northeast of the town of Auburn, below the
confluence of the North and Middle branches of the American River and
above the site of the indefinitely delayed Auburn Dam.
The Naturist Action Committee issued an Action Alert on June 10, 2006,
asking naturists and others to write to California Parks officials and to
attend the first workshop session in the General Plan process. The
response was tremendous! Letters poured in, and naturists made up a full
third of all the public participants at the initial workshop.
Naturists made their point, and the Auburn SRA Superintendent and his
superiors definitely got the message. Eventually, NAC was asked, very
nicely, to please turn off the flow of letters.
The Naturist Action Committee thanks you for your help! You absolutely
made a difference in 2006. Now, it’s time to sustain our momentum by
attending Public Workshop #2 in 2007. It’s important that you be there.
WHAT IS NAC DOING?
It’s been a little less than a year since the first workshop, and the
Naturist Action Committee has used the time wisely. NAC has continued
working closely with California Parks officials. The Superintendent at
the Auburn SRA knows very clearly that naturists will NOT be ignored. He
has reversed the earlier plan for a ban on benign nudity, and he is now
working toward viable plans to manage FOR responsible clothing-optional
uses of the resource.
NAC is also working with local individuals and groups who may not be
directly affiliated with major naturist or nudist organizations, but who
are sincerely committed to preserving opportunities for clothing optional
recreation on public land. NAC expresses its thanks to those individuals
and groups.
We definitely have momentum on our side now. We must continue to press
our advantage.
WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?
The Naturist Action Committee is asking you to attend the important
public workshop on May 30. See the details above. This is the second of
three planned public workshops. The process will result in a General
Plan/Resource Management Plan for the Auburn State Recreation Area. The
Plan will be developed and released jointly by California Parks and the
Bureau of Reclamation.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
NAC is asking ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to attend,
regardless of your residence. The area at issue is U.S. public land being
administered as a California public park. This is a matter that affects
us all.
Even if you do not intend to speak at the Public Workshop, your presence
is important as support for those who will be speaking on behalf of
naturists.
IF YOU SPEAK AT THE WORKSHOP It’s understandable that you might be
perturbed at previous attempts to exclude naturists from public lands on
the American River. However, please remember that we overcame that
obstacle as a result of our flood of correspondence and our disciplined
performance at the previous meeting. We’re winners now, and while we must
remain vigilant, we should act like gracious winners at the upcoming
workshop.
If you speak at the workshop, you must avoid making personal attacks
based on the early confrontational approach of some CA Parks officials.
We’re well past that now, and we need to continue working together with
officials to assure a future for naturists in the General Plan for Auburn
SRA.
MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC
Action Alert on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.
Select “Alerts” and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.
PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!
The Naturist Action Committee is the volunteer nonprofit political
adjunct to The Naturist Society. NAC exists to advance and protect the
rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. 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 made your plans to attend the public meeting in Auburn on
May 30, 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: http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
Thank you for choosing to make a difference.
Naturally,
R. Allen Baylis
Board Member
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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