There are multi-generation families here that actually met and married among the membership.  There are neighbors that treat each other as siblings; not so unusual, since many of them grew up together.  The closeness radiates from these people in a way that can only make you want to be a part of the family yourself.

One of the first things I noticed was the large proportion of children and teens, and then realized that these kids actually enjoyed being here and participating. Their maturity was striking as kids as young as 13 years actually took a responsible part in doing things for the club.

One of the young Fathers related that the members had made it a priority a few years ago to make Star Ranch an ideal place to raise a family, and they were succeeding in this effort.

The club members, known as Sanhoans (The Healthy One), voluntarily take responsibility for operating the Nekkid Cafe, the office, organizing activities, and all the other duties that make up running a successful travel destination. Star Ranch provides a healthy happy place to take your clothes off and enjoy traditional nudism.

Weekly activities include volleyball, tennis, petanque, playground, horseshoes, pool table, ping pong, hiking trails, dances, and karaoke. If you like a more sedate style, just kick back under the large shaded pavilion at the outdoor pool, or relax in the hot tub and heated pool inside the Clubhouse, Tara Hall.

Tara Hall also provides a community kitchen, small library, TV room,` Free WiFi, games, puzzles, and the Nekkid Cafe. Reasonably priced meals are available on weekends during the Summer.  A very comfortable sofa group is a great location for reading, computing, or just conversation. A large outdoor veranda accommodates the smokers and a shuffleboard court.

With 111+ shady acres there are many places available to just throw up a tent, or you can rent cabins, sleeping rooms, or an RV space with hookups and dump stations. Whatever your price range, Star Ranch can accomodate you.

While they describe themselves as having “rustic” facilities, the definition of rustic here does not equate to run-down. The grounds are well kept and you can feel a sense of pride in their club from each of the members.

My thanks to the Sanhoans for a wonderful stay at their beautiful Star Ranch.
Star Ranch

P.O. Box 845 McDade, TX 78650

512-273-2257      or      800-705-5978 Email:

Info@StarRanch.net

Set your GPS for 166 Eely Rd.  McDade, TX

Office Hours:

Saturday
through  -  9:00 - 12:00 & 1:00 - 5:00
Thursday

Friday     -  9:00 - 12:00 & 1:00 - 6:00

Former president Bob Mogliore looks out over the pool at Crocus Grove Nudist community. (QMI Agency file photo)

WINNIPEG - No more will everyone just hang out at a Manitoba nudist campground, as the park’s owners try to better cover their costs by limiting their exposure to hefty water improvement bills.

After more than four decades of a “clothing-optional” attitude, what’s been known as Crocus Grove Campground is changing its name this month to keep in step with a shift away from nudity among its users.

The newly named Sandhill Pines RV Park and Campground, about 40 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, is requiring campers to begin wearing clothes when out and about at the facility, so that its owners can try to attract more customers and maintain their site’s viability.

“It’s too bad that it’s had to go this route. That’s just the way it’s happened,” Susan Ryynanen, who owns the park with husband Ray, said Thursday.

“We’ve had declining numbers in terms of clothing-optional campers, and we have to do something differently.”

The 60-campsite park is asking users and guests to wear clothes for the first time since it opened in 1969. The owners say it’s because of new federal and provincial regulations requiring that facilities like private campgrounds chlorinate their tap water and undertake related engineering studies.

“The cost is going to be between $15,000 and $50,000, depending on the size of the campground, to comply,” explained Susan. The Rynnanens had continued to allow nudity since purchasing the park in the Rural Municipality of Brokenhead more than three years ago.

Because their revenue potential is “extremely limited” by appealing to a naturist niche market, Ryynanen said, it’s necessary to woo a wider array of campers.

“We just have to cope with the additional costs, and maintain the same size of campground,” she added at the park on Provincial Road 317, where the couple live.

“So we need to go public and expand our horizons.”

To distance the park from the nudity image, she said, they’re using advertising and signage under the Sandhill Pines name and “don’t have any affiliation with Crocus Grove at all any more.”

The end of Crocus Grove’s nudity, however, doesn’t mean campers can’t go naked anywhere in that region east of Lake Winnipeg. Ryynanen pointed out that the Patricia Beach area, a short drive north, continues to maintain a “clothing-optional” section along the lake.

The shift doesn’t appear to be steering users away.

After talking to campers who have regularly used the park, Ryynanen said about 98% have indicated they’ll hang around — even if not hanging out.

“They understand. They’re here because they love camping,” she said.

“Everybody is sad and disappointed that we can’t maintain the clothing-optional status, but the reality is that the big draw here is camping and being out in nature. It’s a bit of a change, but not a complete change.”

ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca

From the semi-finalists, eighteen winning entries will be chosen for the Friends of Fire Island National Seashore’s new 18-month calendar, a fundraiser for the group.

The opening reception will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2010, from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., and coincides with the grand opening of the new Patchogue Ferry Terminal.

For more information, contact the Friends of Fire Island National Seashore at www.ffins.org.

http://www.nps.gov/fiis/parknews/friends-of-fins-call-for-artists.htm

The sand will replenish the beach at Field 5, which has been so badly eroded by storms over the past year that it sometimes disappears at high tide and has been closed off periodically.

The sand has been stockpiled at the west end of the park since it was dredged from Fire Island Inlet in 1994 to clear shoals that were impeding navigation, said Ronald Foley, regional director of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The agency is seeking bids from contractors to move the sand and hopes to have the work done by the beginning of April.
The sand is expected to create a beach 300 feet out from the dune line from the east end of Field 5 and west almost to Field 4. “Hopefully it will get us through two summers,” said Foley, who added it might take that long for a federal dredging project to be done in the inlet to improve navigation and replenish that beach and nearby beaches. “Ideally we would like to restore the pile when we have a dredging project.”
The agency has a 10-year state Department of Environmental Conservation permit for emergency beach maintenance that was renewed last year.

In the 1980s and early ’90s, the department several times paid for contractors to truck in sand to bolster the beachfront near the park traffic circle when erosion threatened to undermine it, Foley said.
from:

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/state-plans-to-add-sand-to-eroded-robert-moses-beach-1.1769010