NAC Action Alert - OREGON Bagby Hot Springs

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NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
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https://www.naturistaction.org
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Copyright 2011 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.
DATE : January 13, 2011
SUBJECT: Oregon - Bagby Hot Springs
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens
Dear Naturist,
The Naturist Action Committee is asking for your immediate involvement and action on behalf of Bagby Hot Springs in Oregon. Bagby is a popular and traditional clothing-optional site on public land in Mount Hood National Forest.
U.S. FOREST SERVICE IS PROPOSING PRIVATIZATION OF BAGBY HOT SPRINGS
The Forest Service managers at Mount Hood National Forest have already taken significant steps that have changed the traditional character of Bagby Hot Springs. Without advance public notice, Forest Service personnel have removed the historic wooden tubs from the bath house at Bagby and have destroyed the tub materials by chopping them up and burning them. New tubs have been installed. The new tubs lack the leaks of the old ones, but they also lack the character and history.
The Forest Service management at Mount Hood has also prohibited nudity in the large common area of the Bagby bath house. Nudity is allowed now only behind the closed doors of rooms with smaller tubs.
The action is part of the Forest Service's preparation for finding a private concessionaire to operate Bagby.
NAC ASKS FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION
The Naturist Action Committee is requesting that you
1) attend an open house that's being presented by the Forest Service
AND
2) write to the Forest Service to express your concern
ACTION 1: ATTEND THE FOREST SERVICE 'OPEN HOUSE' ON JANUARY 18
If you're anywhere in the area of Mount Hood National Forest, NAC asks you to attend a public open house at Forest Service headquarters on January 18, 2011.
DATE: Tuesday, January 18, 2011
TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
LOCATION:
Mount Hood Nat'l Forest Headquarters
16400 Champion Way
Sandy, OR 97055
If you're planning to attend the meeting, please contact:
NAC board member Don Zirbel
orcoba@live.com
(503) 970-6674
or NAC executive director Bob Morton
execdir@naturistaction.org
(512) 282-6621
ACTION 2: WRITE TO THE FOREST SERVICE
Whether or not you're able to attend the meeting, you can still help. NAC asks that you write to the Forest Supervisor at Mount Hood National Forest. Send your comments by e-mail, fax or surface mail. Those who will be at the open house on January 18 are also encouraged to write.
WHO SHOULD WRITE?
NAC is asking ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to contact the Forest Service, regardless of your place of residence. National Forests belong to all citizens.
Send a letter, a fax or an e-mail. Phone calls will likely be ineffective in this specific context.
Acting Forest Supervisor Kathryn Silverman
Mount Hood Nat'l Forest
16400 Champion Way
Sandy, OR 97055
E-MAIL: ksilverman@fs.fed.us
FAX: (503) 668-1794
NAC encourages you to send copies of your faxes and paper mail to:
NAC, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903.
Send copies of your e-mails to:
bagby@naturistaction.org
WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?
When you write:
a) Be polite.
b) Be known. Give your name and address. If you are a frequent visitor to National Forests, be sure to point that out. Anonymous letters have very little impact.
c) Be focused. Keep your correspondence brief and on target.
d) Be productive. You may certainly express your indignation over the poor decisions made by the Forest Service concerning Bagby Hot Springs and the abrupt and destructive change to the tradition of benign nude use there. Who could blame you for being upset? However, you must do more than simply scold and complain. You must point out that the Forest Service has the opportunity and responsibility to manage FOR the historic and traditional clothing-optional use of Bagby Hot Springs.
e) Be part of the solution. Volunteers and activist groups, including the Naturist Action Committee, have expressed a strong interest in working WITH the Forest Service for the benefit of the public and the preservation of treasures like Bagby Hot Springs. When the Forest Service ignores help from volunteer groups and fails to keep them informed, it squanders a valuable resource. Emphasize the value of involving the public in the care of public land.
f) Be clear. Say that you OPPOSE the notion of privatizing Bagby.
Additional writing points:
a) The destruction of the historic tubs at Bagby Hot Springs is just the most visible indicator of the intent to change the traditional nature of Bagby without seeking public input. Despite specific requests to be included in considerations at Bagby, individual volunteers and interested parties like the Northwest Forest Conservancy and the Naturist Action Committee were ignored. That's simply NOT a proper way to manage a public resource.
b) The changes to the traditional configuration of the bath house and the nudity restrictions there are a slap in the face to naturists and others who understand that nude soaking is the historically authentic way of enjoying Bagby and many other natural hot springs.
c) Like most individuals and other government agencies, officials of the Forest Service are presently faced with funding shortfalls. Shedding areas and features and assigning them to private operators may seem like an attractive solution, but it creates a long term policy that shortchanges the public and is not likely to be undone when economic hard times abate.
d) Visitors to Bagby already pay for parking, and the reality is that the Forest Service is not likely to give up that revenue. A private operator will have to charge an additional fee to justify its own effort. A concessionaire will likely choose not to keep Bagby open during less profitable night time hours. Suddenly, a public treasure like Bagby becomes less affordable and less accessible.
e) The Forest Service has already sought private bidders to operate Bagby. One of those that was expected to bid has said that it's not interested AT THIS TIME. That changes very little about the concern over the lack of public notice and diminished opportunities for public involvement.
MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Action Alert on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.
https:// www.naturistaction.org
Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.
PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!
The Naturist Action Committee is the volunteer nonprofit political adjunct to The Naturist Society. NAC exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. Fighting for the clothing-optional recreational use of public land is expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you.
After you've contacted the officials on the list, please take a moment to send a donation to:
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation: https://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
Thank you for choosing to make a difference!
Naturally,
Don Zirbel
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee
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Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Don Zirbel - orcoba@live.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
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