"But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing."
2 Thessalonians 3:13

Dear Friends,

On October 28, a number of us testified at a legislative hearing for AB 574, a bill which would ban public nudity on state-owned land. I have also sent a packet to a number of state legislators with the cover letter you will find below.

It is imperative that as many of you as possible contact your state legislators (representatives and senators) and strongly urge them to support AB 574. It would be very good if you could also contact the members of the Assembly Tourism Committee and encourage them to pass AB 574 on to the full assembly for a vote.

If this bill passes the assembly and the senate, Governor Jim Doyle will have a ticklish situation on his hands. It is a very simple bill which bans public nudity on state property. If he vetoes it, he will look like the ultimate pervert. Perhaps I am the eternal optimist, but I believe this piece of legislation can be passed if many of you will contact your representatives and senators, as well as the committee members below, as soon as possible. Please do not give up on ending the nudity on Mazo Beach. I assure you, it is an evil which will spread. Please pass this e-mail on to as many others as possible.

By the way, we have been told by individuals in the state assembly that nudists from around the world have been calling to oppose AB 574. God forbid that His people would remain silent!

Pastor Ralph Ovadal

Dear Representative _________ or Senator _________,

A bill, AB 574, has been introduced which would ban public nudity on property owned by the State of Wisconsin. Based on what has taken place on the DNR property along the Wisconsin River near Mazomanie, this bill is greatly needed. For almost five years, Wisconsin Christians United has campaigned against the public nudity which is allowed on that beach, we believe in violation of existing state statutes. 

It has been suggested that the Dane County D.A. will not be willing to enforce a new law against public nudity since he has been unwilling to enforce the old law which criminalizes such activity. D.A. Blanchard's claim has been that 944.20 does not ban nudity in and of itself based on its wording. At the same time, he has stated, "I believe the DNR could take an administrative act and could say, 'On this land owned by the state, nudity is not allowed'" (Brian Blanchard, February 13, 2001 interview on WISC Channel 3, Madison). 

In other words, the D.A. has rightly stated that the DNR could on its own volition rule out public nudity on its land. It would appear, in putting together the D.A.'s past statements, that while he is opposed to his office pressing criminal charges against the Mazo nudists, he is not against the State citing and fining those who go nude in public. That is exactly what AB 574 would do while at the same time not in any way changing the status of 944.20. In short, if AB 574 goes on the books, law enforcement officials will have the option of citing a person who appears nude on state property or charging him criminally. This is similar to the situation with disorderly conduct.

Since the DNR appears to be unwilling to simply put in place an administrative act against nudity on DNR property, I believe AB 574 is very much needed. After having studied the well-funded, aggressive public nude lobby, it has become clear to me that it is only a matter of time before public nudity spreads to other state parks and beaches in Wisconsin. Of course, in such a situation, AB 574 would safeguard more than just Dane County; and the issue with the Dane County D.A. would be irrelevant in those cases. But even with regard to the Dane County D.A., it is certainly doubtful that he would try to use his office to interfere with the DNR simply fining individuals for public nudity at Mazo Beach. 

Opponents of AB 574 have raised all sorts of fanciful scenarios. For instance, there is the case of the hunter who needs a restroom deep in the woods where there is none. The key wording in the bill is "does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy." The hunter in the woods can do what he has to do in privacy. To turn the argument on its head, one might ask if public urination is lawful currently; and if not, how would this bill jeopardize anyone? Similar arguments against AB 574 can certainly be answered the same way.

I have many boxes of DNR documents dealing with the situation at the Mazo nude beach. These documents have been procured through open records requests by WCU. They clearly expose the reality that the DNR has struck a de facto deal with the Mazo Beach nudists to cede that beautiful piece of public property to them for their exclusive use. The documents also reveal many other unsavory and dangerous features of the situation which currently exist because open nudity is allowed at Mazo Beach. In this packet, I have enclosed just several documents for your consideration, including pictures of some of the many children which WCU has witnessed being taken to the nude beach. Currently, those children could not be taken into a "strip club"; but they are taken to that open-air nude establishment at Mazo Beach, which also admits young people of any age who want to visit it at any time on their own. I do not have to tell you the danger and immorality inherent in that outrageous, tax-funded situation. 

The enclosed documents also include a confidential DNR map showing where sexual activity takes place on Mazo Beach. In addition, I have included a few samples of DNR arrest reports stemming from such activity. These reports are from 1999, the last year we have available for you. One of the other DNR documents in the packet points out that there were eighteen arrests at Mazo Beach for sexual misconduct that year as opposed to zero arrests on the rest of DNR property statewide. 

It is my understanding that arrests for sexual conduct on Mazo Beach have gone down since 1999. I firmly believe that is because the DNR has not been routinely patrolling the beach since then, as has been our observation during many protests on the Mazo Beach parking lot. Also, during an October 28, 2003 hearing on AB 574 before the State Assembly Committee on Tourism, DNR Warden Barbara Wolf admitted that very thing. If law enforcement is not patrolling the beach, of course individuals are not being arrested; and the situation is that much more dangerous!

In closing, I would urge you to work to pass AB 574. Something must be done to put an end to the public nudity at Mazo Beach and preclude similar situations on other state land. AB 574 is a golden opportunity to do just that. For the sake of the children of this state and the vast majority of taxpayers who want access to all of Wisconsin's parks and beaches, please throw your support behind AB 574. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Pastor Ralph Ovadal
Director, Wisconsin Christians United

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