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In the true spirit of Christmas, perhaps there is no better way to celebrate than to look back on the past year with gratitude, despite the challenges we all faced this year. We could not have accomplished what we did without the support of our members who show through their support and volunteerism that their AANR membership truly matters.

Below you will find an excerpt from AANR President John Kinman’s President’s Podium column that sums up 2009 while looking forward to a new year.

“I hope that nudist historians will recognize 2009 as a year when significant things happened which will shape the future for nude recreation. I’ll cite a few examples.

The World Record Skinny-Dip in July was a great success for several reasons. It brought club members together to be part of something that was greater than their own club. Many clubs reported gains in membership from people who reacted to the greatest nudist publicity event ever and found that nudity was comfortable for them. The event was not limited to AANR clubs but included beach groups from Florida to Hawaii to Vancouver, Canada. Our official numbers were well below the number of actual participants because many people were unwilling to sign release forms. I’m told that for 2010 the rules will be relaxed a bit, and I think that the count will be much greater.

Unfortunately, we lost a major club from AANR affiliation after our board suspended their charter over perceived violations of our principles and standards. The club owner chose to terminate the contract rather than to negotiate changes in practices. My article in the October Bulletin which also appeared on our Web site received a record number of responses. The overwhelming majority supported AANR’s stance. My sense is that our members want to maintain a family-friendly environment in AANR clubs.

Also, unfortunately, the California Supreme Court decided that the parks department had the right to ban nudity at San Onofre Beach despite the long-standing Cahill Policy. I don’t see this as an anti-nudity decision by the court but a decision based on specific legal issues. While the agreements were moving forward, your AANR volunteers were meeting with senior parks officials to ensure that nudity would not be banned at other traditional locations. We have received positive assurance from officials and, in a couple of cases, requests from the public to ban nudity at other locations have been refused by parks officials. California parks officials have offered to partner with AANR to make improvements at another nude beach.

Beyond California, your government affairs team has had successful negotiations with parks officials in other states to recognize our rights to enjoy public lands. In fact, we have been successful in having new lands designated as clothing-optional. At the federal level, the Bureau of Land Management has recognized nude recreation as a legitimate user of public lands.

2009 has been a great challenge to all organizations as we dealt with the greatest recession since the 1930s. We lost some members, primarily in clubs, as our members had to make tough economic decisions. But, some good things happened. Mailers to expired members designed by our marketing team brought in renewals far in excess of the cost of the program.

2009 gave us some great challenges. A club choosing a different marketing direction, a threat to close a nude beach, and a terrible economy combined to try to derail us. But, we responded in a way that has galvanized our membership.

AANR will move forward stronger thanks to the challenges that faced us.”