Beaconia Beach Hangs in the Balance

The
ewsletter
Go barefoot all over!
May 2010
Beaconia Beach Hangs in the Balance
1
Judy Williams, NAC board member
Beaconia Beach 1998
The political and bureaucratic public officials in the Beaconia, Manitoba
area have been notoriously tight-lipped
about local government actions or inactions which have allowed destruction
of Beaconia marshlands and precious riparian habitat. They also have not commented about the land swap which
has traded away tiny clothing-optional
Beaconia Beach to private interests.
Such an act is contradictory to federal
Canadian law, which demands that all
citizens have access to all public beaches.
The secluded Beaconia Beach is
on an island in Lake Winnipeg, and is connected to the mainland by an earthen
causeway which has been in sad disrepair for some time now. Even as rumors
swirled about the trade, folks were writing as early as August 2009 to local government requesting that the causeway be
repaired. No one received a response.
Enter the Eastern Beaches Conservation Coalition (EBCC) holding the local
government’s collective feet to the flame,
as it were! According to EBCC’s vicechair, Chris Davis, the EBCC “strives
to preserve the public beaches, wildlife,
and wetlands on the lower eastern side
of Lake Winnipeg through advocacy,
lobbying, and education. The EBCC was
formed as a grassroots response to the
lack of transparency, due process, and
public accountability to various constituents. The EBCC is registered with the
Province of Manitoba.”
EBCC chair David Crab said of the
land swap involving Beaconia, “No water studies were done. No public consultation. No environmental impact studies.”
In 1998, with support from The Naturist Society, Naturist Action Committee, and the Federation of Canadian
Naturists (FCN), local Winnipeg resident
Ivan Pokus and I established the Manitoba Naturists Association. With the help
of others, we won our rights to be nude
at Beaconia Beach after taking on both
the provincial government and the Rural
Municipality of St. Clements. Until the
recently uncovered land swap shocker,
naturists have been able to enjoy Beaconia and Patricia Beaches in peace except
for the deteriorating causeway leading to
Beaconia.
Locals were galvanized into action
when bulldozers began desecrating the
pristine marsh behind Beaconia Beach
by ripping a 1500-foot-long (the original
application asked for 700 feet) channel
toward Lake Winnipeg. In early March,
some citizens expressed their concerns
to Crabb and Davis asking them to conduct research as to what was going on.
The two contacted the FCN, who in turn
contacted me. I began advising and guid-
www.naturistsociety.com • www.naturistaction.org • www.naturisteducation.org
The Naturist Society, LLC/Naturist Action Committee/Naturist Education Foundation
Judy Williams
Go barefoot all over!
BEACONIA BEACH HANGS IN THE BALANCE, cont.
Mayl 2010
2
The Naturist Society, LLC/Naturist Action Committee/Naturist Education Foundation
ing EBCC as they investigated possible local government improprieties. What was going on was that the beach had
been given away illegally and without
due notice to the public, and the marsh
work had ignored wildlife and fisheries
regulations for developer Robert Rettie’s desire to build a huge marina and to
over-develop channels from land to the
lake.
Many provincial and federal ministries have been contacted by the EBCC
challenging these actions. The saga of
clothing-optional Beaconia Beach, the
causeway leading to it, the marsh surrounding it, the danger to the regional
aquifers, and continued public access to
the one local artesian well serving as the
main source of potable water for folks in
the area is still unfolding at the time of
printing.
To date, EBCC has held two public meetings, chosen a mandate, and registered a name with the Province.
They have also formed an interim guiding executive and created a logo for
correspondence and visibility, crafted
a website visited daily by all levels of
government, and opened a bank account
to enable them to keep their fundraising and expenditures transparent and Topfree
Walks in
Maine
Two dozen women walked topfree
along downtown streets of Portland,
Maine on a sunny Saturday this April
3 to the cheers and jeers of up to 500 onlookers, most of whom were male.
The five women leading the peaceful
march along city sidewalks wanted to
draw attention to society’s double standard regarding male and female torsos.
Approximately half the number of
women took to the sidewalks a second
time on Friday, April 30 in Farmington,
Maine. Their purpose was the same, and
again a large crowd trailed them along
the walk. City police here too reported
no problems.
Ty Blanketfort MacDowell, topaccountable, while continuing to build free participant and organizer of the
their credibility.
walks, told Portland Press Herald re
Davis, in his April 19 open letter to porter Edward Murphy during the April
area stakeholders, wrote that the caveat 3 walk that women appearing in public
to cement the land swap be rescinded topfree “is not socially acceptable yet,
before we lose Beaconia forever: “Public and obviously there’s going to be a reacrecords prove that the entrance areas of tion to something that breaks the norm.”
the beach (parking lots and immediately MacDowell was happy at the turnout,
adjacent fields extending to the eastern but frustrated at some of the boisterous
shoreline) were traded by St. Clements males in the crowd. Dave Holman of The
to the Sopko family of Grand Marais on Free Press reported her as saying, “I’m
October 14, 2008. Of greater concern sick of the sleazes, but it’s what we exis that almost a year after Council con- pected. There are lots of creeps here.”
ducted the beach land swap, St. Clem- Police were satisfied that the walkents—not the Sopko family—requested ers remained on the sidewalks, as the
the discharge of a caveat that essentially
prohibited all non-park development on
the beach property.”
The story of the battle to save Beaconia Beach and the surrounding marsh,
along with revealing pictures, may be
found at www.EBconservation.ca. If you
would like to fight for your international
naturist rights on Beaconia Beach as
well as for the protection of dwindling
wetlands across Canada (migratory birds
do not recognize man-made boundaries), become a member by sending $20
or more to EBCC PO Box 95, Beaconia
MB R0E 0B0 CANADA.
Portland, Maine Topfree Walk on
April 3rd 2010
Go barefoot all over!
TOPFREE WALKS IN MAINE,
cont.
The “Proper” Setting
for TNS Events
The Naturist Society, LLC./Naturist Action Committee/Naturist Education Foundation
Portland, Maine Topfree Walk on April 3rd 2010
approach nudist clubs about use of their
site, and (5) many nudist parks actively
seek TNS events. Together, these considerations point in two general directions:
TNS can most easily host events at established private nudist clubs, and it’s
generally a good thing to support your
own people.
There are good reasons, though,
for seeking alternative opportunities
in normally clothing-mandatory settings. These reasons counterbalance the
downside to looking to textile settings
for clothes-free events. There is far more
work involved in finding a campground
or resort with the amenities demanded
by many TNS event attendees. These include comfortable and affordable lodging, camping spaces, food service, and a
breadth of activities. Also challenging is
finding a site secluded enough for naked
participants to be out of sight of passing
car and foot traffic. Finally, there is the
logistical problem of convincing textile
camp owners that they should rent their
facilities to a bunch of nudies they’ve
never met, and who are committed to being truly and fully child-friendly.
Fortunately, TNS has enjoyed good
rapport with textile Eastover Resort in
Lenox, Massachusetts—home of the
Eastern Naturist Gathering for the past
12 years—and that solid relationship
provides TNS staff an enviable introduction to many potential camp and resort
owners. But why go to the trouble of
finding a textile resort, when so many
nudist clubs would love to host a TNS
Gathering?
There are three good reasons for
seeking a new, normally-textile venue.
(1) More than a few TNS members enjoy
visiting new places, and a fresh site will
be attractive to some seeking new experiences. (2) Many textile settings have
amenities and attractions rarely found at
3
While TNS holds most of its Gatherings and Festivals at nudist clubs
or resorts, they’ve also taken over a few
textile camps or resorts normally unavailable for nude use. Some TNS members
have urged supporting established nudist
sites, while others have wanted to expand
our naturist presence into areas usually
reserved for the hopelessly clothed.
Strong cases exist for both choices, but
it’s often more practical considerations
that determine where TNS can host an
event. TNS has—fortunately—been
able to take advantage of a variety of
options to the benefit of its members and
the advancement of naturism.
The most obvious arguments in
favor of holding major TNS events at
established private nudist clubs and resorts are (1) such settings welcome
social nudity and readily accommodate
large numbers of family-friendly naked
people, (2) many naturists want to visit
nudist parks they’ve heard about from
friends and naturist publications, (3) it
provides financial support for fellow
naturists who own or manage such parks,
(4) it’s fairly easy for TNS organizers to
May 2010
women and their supporters had no permit for a march on city streets. As for
not covering their breasts, the women
were breaking no city or state law. Naturist Action Committee board member
Virginia Schnee explained, “The organizers of the topfree walks in Maine
intended to protest the inequality of
American social standards concerning
topfreedom, rather than any particular
law. Because the Maine Criminal Code
pertaining to ‘indecent conduct’ refers
to genitals, and not to a woman’s breasts,
it is not illegal for women to be topfree
wherever it is permissible for men. Also,
judicial rulings of 2002 and 2008 determined that women’s genitals are primarily internal and/or not visible, so simple
female nudity was deemed not indecent
conduct either.”
Few onlookers expressed criticism
of the freedom the women enjoyed.
Still, Topfree Equal Rights Association
coordinator Paul Rapoport expressed
his concern to N: “The two events were
effective in publicizing the issue of topfree equality. Irrational criticism of them
shows that the women’s topfree walks,
despite being legal in Maine, should
continue. To forbid them on the basis of
myths in order to make one feel better is
both unjust and unacceptable.”
For many, topfreedom is about
women’s rights; for naturists it can also
be an incremental march towards full
body freedom. Both goals merit our support and applause.
Go barefoot all over!
May 2010
4
The Naturist Society, LLC/Naturist Action Committee/Naturist Education Foundation
nudist camps. This is sometimes due to a
textile park having a larger customer base,
and thus more income to invest back into
added attractions.
Perhaps of most importance is the third
argument. (3) Having naturist events at normally clothed sites introduces naturism to
a public who would likely never meet us
face to shame-free face. Resort owners and
their staff will tell everyone they know of
the crazy group they worked with, and as
long as event attendees are living up to the
best of naturist values, these business owners and service staff will be spreading word
about who naturists are and how well we can
fit into mainstream life. It’s hard to imagine
a more effective tool for advancing understanding of naturism, and indirectly promoting a wider array of naturist liberties. Hosting
a nude event at a normally clothed setting is
naturist grassroots activism at its best!
TNS is delighted to host a trio of Gatherings in 2010, in addition to assisting with
additional naturist festivals across North
America. Naturists can enjoy established
nudist settings at Sunsport Gardens in
Florida, Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park in
Ontario, Empire Haven in New York, Avalon Resort in West Virginia, and DeAnza
Springs Resort in California.
With equal delight, TNS has announced
that for the first time they will hold this year’s
Eastern Naturist Gathering at the normally
non-naturist Camp Westmont in Pennsylvania. Open for full nude use June 14-20, 2010,
Camp Westmont boasts more activities than
most naturists will ever hope to enjoy while
nude. A large pool and lake for swimming
are just the beginning. TNS members and
friends should check out Camp Westmont’s
activities for all ages at TNS’ Events page at
www.naturistsociety.com.
Attending the Eastern Naturist Gathering this year will make for an exciting week
of nude fun, while nudging clothed society a bit closer to accepting naturists both
as customers and fellow citizens. There’s
room for naturists everywhere. We should
be the first to celebrate that fact.
1-800-886-7230
www.naturistsociety.com
Michael Horgan
2009 Eastern Naturist Gathering at Eastover Resort.
Contact the NAC Board
Robert Morton - Texas
Chair/Executive Director
execdir@naturistaction.org
Bill Schroer - Michigan
Treasurer
naturist18@gmail.com
Mark Storey - Washington
Secretary
storey98@aol.com
Allen Baylis - California
rab@baylislaw.com
Morley Schloss - Florida
morleynaturist@hotmail.com
Virginia Schnee Massachusetts
virginia@schnee.com
Judy Williams - British
Columbia
judyw@wreckbeach.org
Don Zirbel - Oregon
orcoba@live.net
www.naturistaction.org
www.naturisteducation.org
The Newsletter Editor: Mark Storey
The Newsletter (ISBN N9. 1075-735X) is published by The Naturist Society LLC, Naturist Action Committee, and Naturist Education
Foundation, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Entire contents copyright ©2010. Published items may be reprinted with prior
permission. Request an annual subscription with a donation of at least $25 to NAC. Your financial assistance is vital! VISA/
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