The 23rd Edition Guide just arrived
Erich Schuttauf, Executive Director
The 23RD EDITION GUIDE Just Arrived
Congratulations are in order for Publications Director Linda Berry and her team for getting another edition of the North American Guide to Nude Recreation out ahead of schedule. (Special thanks also to Shirley Heaton who prepared an introduction to this edition.)
This week 5,000 copies arrived from the printer and are available for purchase. Interested clubs can buy the Guide at quantity discounts, and even use their membership credits to exchange for free copies. Call Carol DeAldana at 800/879-6833, ext. 233, for details and to place your order.
Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Continues
Within Debra Stevens’ report below you will find an update on government affairs developments, as well as a link to information on bills and proposed regulations which the AANR team is currently tracking. This week we looked at approximately 100 new measures, as well as about 50 regulations. Totals appear within Debra ’s summary.
Pasco County , FLorida , Affirms Commitment to Protecting
AANR Clubs
On Tuesday the County Commission went out of its way, multiple, multiple times to say that their proposed changes to an adult land use ordinance would not affect nudist resorts in any way. From a legal standpoint, what’s most significant is that the commission and the county attorney reiterated that there had been NO change from the 2001 legislative finding by the county that nudist resorts “do not give rise to adverse secondary effects and should be exempt” from the zoning law.
I want to thank the many people who showed up from our Pasco resorts to help monitor what was happening, including Darren Norris from Caliente, Ed Moran from Paradise Lakes, Mark Ashcroft and Ken Cushman of Lake Como club, plus “Dave” (Gulf Coast), “Don,” and several others whose names escape me, but are appreciated. Ed proposed a slight wording change to the commission which, while not adopted, “set the ball rolling” and caused the commission to be very upfront about their clear intent not to affect us. Darren had done a very thorough job of talking to commissioners before hand as was evident from what occurred also. Calls from Lake Como members to commissioners were specifically mentioned during the hearing.
I submitted written material to bolster the record of positive economic effects… including a Florida Trend article citing Pasco Tourism Council figures that show more than 12% of visitors come to the county to enjoy clothes free resorts.
Collectively the day went well for AANR. The reiteration of Pasco’s legislative findings that nudist resorts do not create adverse secondary effects is extremely important. It can help us in other Florida counties because, under case law from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, when a community does research on adverse effects (required as a prelude to passing adult entertainment laws) it must consider studies more recent in time and closer in geography as more probative than, say, a study of the blight caused by an adult bookstore on the housing market in Enid, Oklahoma, in the 1970s. Since many of the so-called “Family Law” groups try to depend on such outdated studies, the relatively new findings by Pasco , and their reiteration of those findings yesterday, provides some helpful ammunition to us.
A news story from the St. Pete Times appears in the link below:
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/23/news_pf/Pasco/County_takes_aim_at_s.shtml
Representative David Weldon Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election
Some who have been involved in government affairs and nude recreation for many years will remember the infamous Weldon amendment banning the National Park Service at the Canaveral National Seashore from using any funds to create a clothing-optional area if doing so would be inconsistent with county law. The Weldon amendment was to ostensibly curtail any nude area on the Brevard County side of the seashore although many travelers continue to shed clothes in the area north of parking lot #13 in Brevard County to this day. Yet it did much to fan the flames of discord between naturists and those who opposed naturism.
Today news sources announced Representative Weldon’s intention not to seek re-election for another term:
http://www.wftv.com/news/15136367/detail.html
YOUTH DVD
Nancy Tiemann and Judy Grisham ask that you take time to review the Youth DVD that was sent to all clubs in December. Please support the programs by recruiting youth from your club for youth camps, Nude U, or Youth Ambassadors. Any financial assistance would also be appreciated.
Carolyn Hawkins, Public Relations Coordinator
POSITIVE PUBLICITY
The link below talks about Haulover Beach .
http://www.southbeach-usa.com/news/travel/2008/01/17/10-things-miami-2/
TRAINING CD
The training CD has been reviewed and is in the final stages. As soon as we receive them we will send them to the clubs.
Linda Berry, Director of Publications
THE NORTH AMERICAN GUIDE
A complimentary copy of the Guide was mailed this week to all advertisers and clubs who were listed in the book.
THE BULLETIN
March is in production, and it includes the name of the Mystery Guest, the nudist from Angel Care, and a Frogmore Stew recipe from South
Carolina .
Terry Justice, Club/Member Liaison
Please welcome a new provisional club:
Nudist Clubhouse
(Nonlanded)
PO Box 502632
San Diego , CA. 92150
www.Nudistclubhouse.com
858/945-8095
Debra Sue Stevens, Government Affairs
AANR Northwest GAT Leadership Forum
Sun Meadow Resort in Worley , Idaho , hosted the AANR-NW Government Affairs Team Leadership Forum, January 18-20. Sun Meadow Resort, a long time GAT supporter, provided an all-inclusive weekend for a minimal fee that allowed for a larger number of participants. Look for an article in your March Bulletin.
AANR Assateague Island Spring Cleanup 2008 – APRIL 26th
Advance registration is now open for volunteers to help at the AANR’s Assateague State Park Beach Cleanup on Saturday, April 26, to show how much nudists care about this wonderful beach area. Volunteers will meet at the ranger station at 9:00 a.m. This is a clothed event and it could be a little chilly.
To sign up and for additional information concerning this event,
contact Ray Simpson at raysimpson@verizon.net or phone 301/399-xxxx.
Please include your name, e-mail address, and phone number when signing up. We will need to contact you in case of any last minute updates or changes.
CapWiz Alert – “Wild Horses Couldn’t Keep Me Away!”
On Monday, an informational CapWiz alert was sent to AANR members residing in the states of DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA and WV regarding the Assateague Island cleanup. You must be subscribed through the AANR Web site to receive alerts. The alert was delivered to 770 valid e-mail addressees. Overall, 343 AANR members opened the alert. The past has shown that these alerts have increased volunteerism at Assateague Island .
Subscribe to Receive Important Capwiz Alerts
To sign-up for CapWiz Alerts, please visit
www.aanr.com/members.html log in, then click Government Affairs on the left. Half-way down the page will be the CapWiz link.
Fill out the registration form to receive the alerts. If you are an existing member and would like to update your profile, scroll to the bottom of the page for this option. Your participation in this program is an added benefit of your AANR membership. Please feel free to post this information in your club newsletter!
AANR-West Requests Club Brochures
Your club brochures are needed as AANR-West begins representing AANR at various tradeshows this year. Please send 50-100 brochures to AANR-West President Jeannette DeRosier , 25999 Glen Eden Road #247 ,Corona , CA 92883 . AANR-West welcomes the opportunity to promote your club, even if your club is located in another region.
AANR Members are Encouraged to Assist in Bill Tracking
Ellyn Kern from Drakes Ridge Rustic Nudist Retreat, Inc. wrote me, “I have been monitoring Indiana for the Indiana Campground Owners Association and didn’t think there was anything to worry about on the first round. And this is a short session and property tax relief is on everyone’s mind. However, a couple bills turned up lately I wanted to pass on that would be in the Watch Category. HB1042 Registering intent to sell sexually explicit product. As written it shouldn’t end up affecting us at all in my opinion. HB 1189 This is a tax item that could affect Indiana nudist clubs. I continue to watch the bills in my roles in both associations.” Thank you Ellyn!
StateNet Training – Refresher Course for AANR GAT
Members of the AANR GA Team attended a virtual StateNet training session with our StateNet representative this week. This training refreshed their skills in monitoring, tracking and managing bill that are of interest to AANR.
Legislature Watch Report – StateNet.com
Your Government Affairs Team and AANR Office continue their efforts to review and monitor upcoming bills through our StateNet software.
This Week in Session:
Today there are 36 States, DC and US House in Regular Session.
There are 4 states in Special Session.
Statistics for This Week:
Today 786 bills have been reviewed personally by Erich and me.
Today 105 bills have been reviewed in full text by Erich and me.
Today 56 bills are on the Government Affairs Team “Legislative Tracking List.”
AANR StateNet Tracking List:
At this time, AANR is NOT asking for member assistance on any of the
bills we are tracking. If you have information or feedback pertaining
to these bills, please contact me or the AANR office. To view the
AANR GA Legislative Tracking List, visit
www.aanr.com/members.html log in, then click Government Affairs on the left. Scroll down to the downloads at the bottom of the page and click on StateNet Jan. 25, 2008.
Each of the bills has been assigned to one of the following categories:
* HIGH – These are serious bills that we are actively tracking
because, as written, they present a direct or high probable threat to
nude recreation.
o WATCH – These are bills which are less threatening, as written, but could become a problem with an amendment/s that add/delete just a few phrases. In some cases a bill on the Watch List may be neither good nor bad but AANR would want to notify members and/or clubs upon passage so that they could comply with the law.
o RESEARCH – These bills require additional
research in order to evaluate properly. They may, for example, refer
to unexplained statue numbers which must be reviewed or the bill is
very lengthy and must be printed out to examine carefully for their
affect.
o GOOD – These are bills which present an opportunity to help members and/or clubs.
