We’ve had our meetings to plan for the Gathering, and our amazing volunteers have stepped up again. We love for people from far away to come here, because the facility is so nice, but we really love to show off the great folks who spend time here, and who help out so much.

The rooms have all been reserved for some time now. We have a waiting list set up for rooms and cabin. Plenty of room for tents, and still a few RV sites left. You local folks can come for the day, too. Also, the Coeur d’Alene casino is just up the road and they have very nice rooms. Their phone number is 800-523-2464

We will have jewelry making workshops, one on silver collecting, archery, all the sports and games, a lot of Naturist themed workshops, the long-awaited hula hoop workshop, and of course, music:
On Wednesday evening, as people are arriving, we’ll have a jam session on the patio, complete with Cowboy TV and s’mores. On Thursday night at 8 on the stage, we’ll have Halladay Quist, with her dad Rob as backup.

On Friday night at 8 in the gazebo, The Drum Brothers, and we’ll light up the pickleball court for dancing and hula hooping.

On Saturday, after an afternoon workshop on line dancing, John Shovic and Laurie will treat us to a DJ Dance. Come on down!

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If you are an attorney or know of an attorney that would be willing to represent nudists that have been wrongly discriminated against, please let us know. We are building a current list of such lawyers so that referrals can be made. Please send this information to president@aanr-nw.org

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The next scheduled Oregon nude beach clean-ups are as follows:

Saturday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. at Rooster Rock State Park. This is a clothing optional event, for those cleaning in the nude area. Hats are advised – the temperatures will reach into the high 80’s. Volunteers do not have to pay the day use fee. Tell the person in the booth that you are a clean-up volunteer. Barbequed hot dogs, minor snacks and cold beverages will be provided. Gather at far east end of parking lot.

Saturday, August 2 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., there will be a “Tribal ID” photo shoot on Sand Island. This is an event for a book co-sponsored by AANR-NW. This book explores man’s (or women’s) need to reconnect with his or her primitives self by covering their bodies with mud and being present in nature. If you want to be in the shoot and don’t mind covering yourself with beach mud, this is for you. For more details, contact tribalmud@gmail.com .

Wednesday, August 6 – Sauvie Island- Collins Beach – clean-up at 3:00 p.m. – A parking pass is normally required but we have worked with SOLVE and have a clean-up day waiver of the fee on the day we clean the beach and parking area. Contact me to get one as we approach the chosen date. Again, a hot dog barbeque is scheduled after the event. Meet on the beach near the second Collins nude beach opening (number 3 opening). Restrooms are portable toilets located in the parking area near the beach trail openings. We will concentrate our efforts on the gravel road parking area and litter sweeps of the beach area from the first Collins nude beach opening (number two marked opening) to the opening marked number six.

These clean-ups last around three hours each and are a good way for us to let the public know about our community involvement. We are doing these in conjunction with SOLVE and the Oregon state parks department.
Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28 is National Public Lands weekend and the final beach and riverside clean-up days at Rooster Rock and Sauvie Island are now also on the schedule. More details will be released later.
We need additional volunteers at these events so that we can retain our beach sponsorship. These legal nude beaches are unique to Oregon and we want to continue to keep our beaches bare!!

Want to volunteer but need more info? Contact me below.

Mike Parker
AANR-NW Government Affairs Chair
gat@aanr-nw.org

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The August AANR Bulletin focus is tolerance, acceptance and diversity. If you are an AANR member, you can access an electronic copy of it in the members’ area at http://www.aanr.com . Among other articles, there is a column written by Bill Schroer, the AANR Executive Director, that speaks to this issue. By being a nudist, you are in a minority. So, how do you think minorities should be treated? It is worth reading and discussing. If you aren’t an AANR member, you could go to one of the clubs and read it there. Or you could join AANR. The reason to join AANR is to advocate for nudism, not to get a discount when you visit clubs. You can join at any of the clubs listed at AANR-NW.org or online at href=”http://www.aanr.com”>http://www.aanr.com.

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The AANR-NW convention took place last weekend at Kaniksu Ranch.  Kaniksu was celebrating its 75th anniversary, with a “Diamonds in the Buff” theme.  We all had a great time.  There were tournaments in pickleball, bocce, volleyball, shuffleboard, horse shoes, kayaking and cribbage, along with informal sports play all weekend.  Karen Lahey from the SLUGS won the cribbage tournament.  There was a children’s activity center running all weekend, with games and crafts.  We enjoyed a campfire Thursday night and danced to a DJ dance Friday night and The Angela Marie Project Saturday night, and the band even performed nude on Saturday.  And of course the pool, hot tub, sauna and miles of forest trails were available throughout the convention.  The Kaniksu kitchen provided great meals all weekend, and a 75th anniversary reception Saturday.

Forums included:

• A presentation on how to use social media to help your club, presented by Randy Erickson.
• A presentation by Bill Schroer, the new AANR Executive Director, of his plans for the organization.
• A Government Affairs presentation.
• A recap of the AANR-NW FolkLife sponsorship and booth.
• Darkness to Light introduction.
• Group discussion about how we can support our travel clubs.
• A presentation about how to talk to our friends about nudism.
• A rap session covering a range of topics.

Elections were held, and all officers were re-elected.  Karen Lahey from the SLUGS,Fraternity Snoqualmie, Hidden Springs, Wine Country Bares was re-elected as president. Jim Lahey from the SLUGS,Fraternity Snoqualmie, Hidden Springs, Wine Country Bares will continue as secretary.  Dave Smith from Kaniksu will be vice-president and Terri Capshaw from Sun Meadow will be treasurer.  Also, Linda Babione from Lake Bronson was elected as Nominations committee chair.

A motion was passed to ask the board to amend the procedures so that club members will not need to pay the convention registration fee when the convention is at their club.
 
Sun Meadow was selected as the site of the 2016 AANR-NW convention.  As a reminder, Fraternity Snoqualmie will be the site of the 2015 convention.

Awards were:

• Scholarship to Deana Jackson from the Bare Backers.
• Membership increase awards went to Hidden Springs, both for percentage increase and number increase.
• Poet Laureate to John Mollan from the Sun Rovers
• Presidential Meritorious Service Award for extraordinary service working at Northwest Folklife to 6 people, Effie Burton, Don Krueger and Jim Lahey from the SLUGS, Richard and Linda Stockett from the Willamettans and Brie Capshaw from Sun Meadow.

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The city of Auburn, WA passed Ordinance 6514 that defines mere nudity as a lewd act and makes it a misdemeanor in any public place in the city of Auburn, WA.  This ordinance was introduced and passed on July 7, 2014.  Unfortunately, we were not aware of this ordinance before it was passed.  We will now need to contact the Mayor and City Council to make our concerns known.  If you live in the city of Auburn, or know of other nudists in that city, please send email to president@aanr-nw.org so that we can organize attending a city council meeting en masse to make our concerns known. City Council meetings are on the first and third Mondays of the month.

Contact information for the Mayor is

Mayor Nancy Backus
c/o City of Auburn
25 West Main St.
Auburn, WA 98001

253-931-3041 (p)
253-288-3132 (f)
Email Mayor Nancy Backus (e)

City council members are:

Rich Wagner Deputy Mayor Position No. 6 Email Rich Wagner	Bill Peloza Councilmember Position No. 3 Email Bill Peloza
Claude DaCorsi Councilmember Position No. 2 Email Claude DaCorsi	Yolanda Trout Councilmember Position No. 4 Email Yolanda Trout
John Holman Councilmember Position No. 5 Email John Holman	Largo Wales Councilmember Position No. 1 Email Largo Wales
Wayne Osborne Councilmember Position No. 7 Email Wayne Osborne

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The next scheduled nude beach clean-ups are as follows:
Saturday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. at Rooster Rock State Park. This is a clothing optional event, for those cleaning in the nude area. Hats are advised. Volunteers do not have to pay the day use fee. Tell the person in the booth that you are a clean-up volunteer. Barbequed hot dogs, minor snacks and cold beverages will be provided. Gather at far east end of parking lot.

Wednesday, August 6 – Sauvie Island- Collins Beach – clean-up at 3:00 p.m. – A parking pass is normally required but we have worked with SOLVE and have a clean-up day waiver of the fee on the day we clean the beach and parking area. Contact me to get one as we approach the chosen date. Again, a hot dog barbeque is scheduled after the event. Meet on the beach near the second Collins nude beach opening (number 3 opening). Restrooms are portable toilets located in the parking area near the beach trail openings. We will concentrate our efforts on the gravel road parking area and litter sweeps of the beach area from the first Collins nude beach opening (number two marked opening) to the opening marked number six.

These clean-ups last around three hours each and are a good way for us to let the public know about our community involvement. We are doing these in conjunction with SOLVE and the Oregon state parks department. A sign-up on the SOLVE website will soon be in place at http://www.solv.org/get-involved/event-registration .

Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28 is National Public Lands weekend and the final beach and riverside clean-up days at Rooster Rock and Sauvie Island are now also on the schedule. More details will be released later.

We need additional volunteers at these events so that we can retain our beach sponsorship. These legal nude beaches are unique to Oregon and we want to continue to keep our beaches bare!!

Want to volunteer but need more info? Contact me below.

Mike Parker
AANR-NW Government Affairs Chair
mikpar@prodigy.net

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Next weekend. Look toward eastern Washington! What’s that shining in the sky? Not a star but “Diamonds in the Buff,” celebrating the Diamond anniversary of Kaniksu Ranch Family Nudist Park. And you’ll want to be there.

The AANR-NW Regional Convention in July 18-20, 2014. And it coincides with celebrating the Kaniksu 75th anniversary. There are meetings, and of course everyone is encouraged to come, learn what is happening in the organization and let your voice be heard. In addition to the meetings, there will be a focus on lots of sports, children’s activities, games and activities. Both Saturday and Sunday mornings will start with parades. In the new sports arena there are two bocce courts, a pickleball court, a sand volleyball court, two horseshoe pits and a heated swimming pool. Also available are a shuffleboard court, hot tub, sauna, new children’s playground and miles of hiking and biking trails. There will be workshops and seminars, including lessons on how to play pickleball. In the evenings, sing at Karaoke night on Thursday. Or dance to the Rapid Transit Show on Friday and the Ann Marie Project on Saturday. Stay for the week and enjoy all of the festivities at the 30th running of the ‘Original Bare Buns Fun Run’ the following weekend.

This is your convention. See you there!!!

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The results of the AANR election are in:
AANR PRESIDENT Bev Price
AANR VICE PRESIDENT Sharon McLeod
SECRETARY/TREASURER Paul Kuntzmann
Club Trustees Group 1 & 2 No Candidates
Club Trustees Group 3 Kathy Watzel and Lewis Dreblow
Club Trustee Group 4 Brenda Spangler
Club Trustee Group 5 Jim Lane
Club Trustee Group 6 & 7 Theresa “T” Price, Mike Parker and Joan Harris
Member Trustee AANR – East Fred Van Nest
Member Trustee AANR – Florida Marji McNeely
Member Trustee AANR – Midwest Dan Garringer
Member Trustee AANR – Northwest Kathy Smith
Member Trustee AANR – Southwest Linda Otero
Member Trustee AANR – West Tim Mullins
Member Trustee AANR – Western Canada Bob Campbell

Motion To Amend Bylaws Yes
To replace the words “Procedure Manual” with “Governance Manual” and/or “Operations Manual”
As appropriate in the Bylaws of the American Association for Nude Recreation, Inc

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There is an initiative in the City of Spokane to get a measure on the ballot to ban mere nudity. This initiative recognises that there is a law against lewd behavior but wishes to criminalize mere nudity in any public place. While this initiative failed to get the required votes to be on the Fall 2014 ballot, they intend to spend the next year getting signatures to get it onto the Fall 2015 ballot. As nudists, we find that this legislation is indeed harmful. We need to educate the voters of Spokane that such a law is intrusive and is not in the best interests of the city.

As a start to that effort, AANR-NW is sponsoring an informational booth at the 4th of July fireworks at Riverfront Park in Spokane. If you are there, stop by and say hi.

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