<br><br>Nude Volleyball on Oregon Beach<br>Submitted by: Shirley Gauthier<br><br>Rooster Rock State Park was the place to be in Oregon August 5 for nude volleyball.<br>AANR-NW volleyball players Dick Post and Gary Mitchell organized a group of volleyball players to participate in the AANR-NW GAT beach work weekend. Oregon State Park employee Glenn Littrell was prepared with poles, net and a posthole digger to install the volleyball net. The volleyball players made it very clear that once the volleyball net was up they would be too distracted by volleyball to work on other projects. Some participants mentioned the possibility of an annual AANR-NW Rooster Rock volleyball tournament so stay tuned.<br>Volunteers, after setting up on the beach close to the water, installed the volleyball poles, completed several litter patrols and cleared the stairs to the beach of sand, which is an annual chore due to the winds on the Columbia Gorge. Brad Landon has taken ownership of the annual stair cleaning and quickly volunteered for this physical job along with a Volunteer of the Gorge.<br>What started out as a beach clean up at Rooster Rock State Park in Oregon has grown into an annual weekend gathering of nudist friends. Nudists who share their love of Rooster Rock and Sauvie Island nude beaches give up the first weekend of August each year to work together on Oregon's two legal nude beaches to advocate nude recreation on public lands and preserve the beaches.<br>Sauvie Island's nude beach received volunteer attention the following day August 6. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department has suggested that we focus our volunteer attention on the parking area and gravel road to the beach. Upon arriving and before setting up on the beach we cleaned the areas and chatted with local beach users arriving to recreate for the day. Thanks to Mountaindale Sun Resort's purchase of a set of horseshoes several years ago we all enjoyed the challenge of playing horseshoes barefoot in the hot sand.<br> Mountaindale Sun Resort's support of AANR-NW GAT provides an extra incentive for those participating in the event. Mountaindale Sun Resort gives each event participant free grounds fees for the weekend and provides delicious low cost meals to those that participate. Mountaindale Sun Resort is a short distance from Sauvie Island nude beach and the perfect location for those wishing to participate in both beach work events.<br>The Willamettans Family Nudist Resort (home of the AANR 2007 convention) provided sausage dogs, sauerkraut, condiments, bottled water, charcoal and napkins for the beach cleanup weekend. Squaw Mountain Ranch resort provided financial assistance and t-shirts for the raffle.<br>The barbecue at both beaches provides volunteers an opportunity to socialize after completing work projects. The smell of hotdogs and the AANR flags blowing in the wind draws other beach users over to chat and ask for information. It was a surprise when a man joined us because after seeing the AANR flags he had them confused with AARP and said he thought it great we had gathered as a group in the nude.<br>Volunteers in the Gorge (<a href=http://www.volunteersinthegorge.org/>http://www.volunteersinthegorge.org/</a>) and AANR-NW GAT have over the years nurtured a working relationship. The Volunteers in the Gorge website reports that &quot;Volunteers in the Gorge was formed through a partnership between the Oregon State Police and the Oregon State Parks.&quot; The program was established to utilize citizen volunteers to work within the Columbia River Gorge national Scenic Area. Volunteers in the Gorge is a unique group of trained individuals who preserve and protect resources, discourage criminal behavior and provide support and information to state park users. It mattered little to the Volunteers in the Gorge that we would be working in the nude. AANR has gained members who now complain that at the beach cleanups they must wear their &quot;Volunteer in the Gorge&quot; t-shirts!<br>Friends of AANR over the years committed to the beach events with volunteer hours, energy and financial support. Beach events are a great way to promote AANR and advocate for nudism on public lands.<br>SOLV (<a href=http://solv.org/>http://solv.org/</a>) Oregon's largest volunteer group has over 3,000 volunteers who have adopted over 700 miles of river within their adopt-a-river program. SOLV provides the litter bags, first-aid kits, and a place on their website to advertise our beach clean ups. In addition to AANR's adoption of Sauvie Island (Collins Beach) and Rooster Rock State Park in SOLV's adopt-a-river program AANR enjoys and values our adoption of Rooster Rock State Park within the Oregon State Park adopt-a-park program.<br>This year's beach weekend competed with the AANR convention being held at DeAnza Springs Resort. While we missed some of the regular volunteers we thank all the new volunteers and regulars who generously gave their time and energy. Volunteers traveled up to 3-4 hours drive to participate and gather with friends for a common goal. Thank you to those who send checks in support of AANR's work to promote nudity on public lands. If you would like to be a part of or support the continued AANR beach success you can do so by mailing a check made out to AANR-NW GAT, % AANR-NW Treasurer-Darrel Brown, POB 937, Marcola, Oregon 97454. Raffle prizes are always welcomed and a great way to advertise your resort or club and can be mailed to AANR-NW GAT Chair Shirley Gauthier at The Willamettans Family Nudist Resort, POB 969, Marcola, Oregon 97454 or better yet bring them with you to next years AANR convention!<br><br> </td>