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In these pages, the reader will find just a few
excerpts from some of the DNR documents procured by WCU through open
records searches in 2000 and 2001. When did the people of Wisconsin agree
to turn "the best beach" of the "Lower Wisconsin" over
to naturist organizations? Why has the DNR allowed families to be
"driven out" from Mazo Beach by nudists and forced to a beach
"that is neither as nice or as large, and tends to be more
dangerous"? Why do Claudette, Jim, Pat, Bob, Cheri, Timm, and their
friends have so much power? How long will DNR officials continue to pander
to and pimp for the powerful "naturist" lobby at the expense of
Wisconsin taxpayers, children, and the rule of law? How much longer will
nudists control state policy regarding Mazo Beach? When will that
beautiful beach be returned to all the people of Wisconsin?
July 27, 1992 letter from Pat O'Brien
of the Naturist Society to DNR official Dave Gjestson:
"Thanks for setting up the teleconference today
for us to have a chance to discuss the Department of Natural
Resources'[s] concerns at Mazo Beach. . . . Many of the users of that
beach invited The Naturist Society/Naturist Action Committee to
represent their interests with DNR. We have formed a special Wisconsin
River Project within NAC to organize the various factions on the beach.
Among those joining this effort formally so far is Badger Naturists and
several additional groups. We look forward to meeting with you and
others from the DNR in August."
Excerpted from Friends of Mazo Beach
newsletter, September 4, 1993:
"Since National Nude Weekend in July, however,
the 'spillover' area to the south (where they allowed us to go in the
past on busy weekends when there was not enough room to fit all of us)
has become our 'new traditional' beach. Communication with the DNR over
the summer has led to discussions regarding what qualifies as
'traditional beach.'"
Letter to a concerned citizen from
James R. Huntoon, DNR district director, October 1, 1993:
"The Mazomanie beach is a beautiful area that
has been used by thousands of people over the many years the Department
of Natural Resources has owned it. Our agency has always held that
public property should be open to all to enjoy and no single group
should have exclusive use. Public nudity is certainly an activity that
could exclude other people from using an area. . . . I hope you will not
lose faith in the DNR regarding this matter. We remain committed to
preserving the use of public areas by all people, not just a single
group."
Excerpted from a March 22, 1994
letter to DNR administrator John E. Fryatt from Edward G. Krueger,
attorney on behalf of Friends of Mazo Beach (FOMB) and the Naturist Action
Committee:
". . . let me express our appreciation for your
willingness to meet with us last week and as well for the spirit of
mutual cooperation in which the meeting was held. . . . I believe the
following accurately summarizes the understandings exchanged at that
meeting. . . . Neither FOMB nor other naturists are restricted to any
portion of the beach. . . . Our understanding of this is that users,
both clothed and unclothed, are no longer going to be 'informed' by
local law enforcement that nudity is illegal . . . It was further agreed
that any perceived need on the part of the DNR to deviate or alter these
understandings would be communicated to our group by yourself, and not
by local law enforcement."
March 16, 1998 e-mail from DNR
regional warden Randy Stark to DNR official Richard Wojciak:
"Subject: Contact with Naturist Claudette
Richards [A Friends of Mazo Beach coordinator and Naturist Action
Committee board member]
"I called to talk to Jim Dickey and talked with Claudette as Jim
was not home. I explained some of the problems and what we were trying
to accomplish. Claudette was receptive to the ideas. Her and Jim will be
in Paris from April 13-28. Dates they are available before leaving are
4/6, 4/9, and 4/10. Dates available in April after returning are 4/29,
4/30. During our conversation I bounced a few of the potential
alternative[s] off her. She had the following comments . . . She has
considerable resources available with respect to approaches used by
other locales for managing clothing optional beaches."
Excerpted from Friends of Mazo Beach
newsletter, June, 1998:
"Consultations with our FOMB attorney, meetings
with regional DNR staff, and finally meetings between our
representatives and attorney and the head DNR administrator, DNR
attorney, and DNR Secretary (George Meyer) occurred in the spring of '94
. . . Our retained legal advisor drafted a letter to the DNR
administrator in March of '94 substantiating the agreements that were
reached in the meetings."
Naturist Action Committee in the
Badger Naturists Guestbook, March 3, 1999:
"The DNR clearly intends to continue the long
tradition of a clothing-optional beach at Mazo. In fact, many of the
agency's ideas reflect recommendations for better management at Mazo
from NAC, Friends of Mazo Beach and other Wisconsin Naturist
organizations."
Correspondence/memorandum, State of
Wisconsin, March 26, 1998 to DNR official Ruthe Badger from DNR wardens
Wayne Schutte and Scott Theide:
"A tacit agreement was reached in the early
years of LWSR (Lower Wisconsin State Riverway) between DNR and the
naturists. Use of the beach by nude sunbathers would be allowed to
continue with minimal restraint, so long as the naturists kept to a part
of the beach separate from the general public. . . . Since 1993 the
naturists have used the beach area which had been used by the general
public, which has resulted in those families and other users abandoning
the beach. . . . This is an unfortunate consequence of the previous
agreement, the general public being effectively deprived of the use of a
public recreation site. . . . The tolerance of public nudity and sexual
activity has created and encouraged a perverse atmosphere that is even
more offensive to thousands of visitors using the river adjacent to the
beach."
DNR official Rick Wojciak, commenting
on a Wisconsin Christians United protest at Mazo Beach (Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, August 29, 1999). Interview also witnessed by WCU.
"Nudity is not illegal on state land and Mazo
beach causes no more problems than other highly used recreational land,
said Rick Wojciak, a DNR area manager."
Note: See next item.
January 30, 2001
correspondence/memorandum from DNR official Ruthe Badger to DNR Secretary
George Meyer:
"Subject: Management Plan--Lower Wisconsin State
Riverway, Mazomanie Unit
"Law Enforcement issues are a major management issue of this area.
. . . Among the arrests, citations or referrals were: 18 for sexual
misconduct (the only arrests for those offenses reported statewide for
DNR in 1999) . . ."
November 5, 1999 e-mail from Gregory
K. Matthews, DNR regional public affairs manager, to a concerned nudist:
"You're right that nudism is widely accepted in
Europe, but I'm reminded of what a British history professor told my
spouse and I several years ago while visiting Great Britain: 'your
country was founded by Puritans, we threw them out.'. . . We have
treated the naturists in a fair manner, much to the dismay of a vocal
minority who want the beach closed. I believe most beach users will
confirm this."
"Summary of Recreational Law
Enforcement, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, 1999":
"And the presence of the many persons at the [Mazo]
beach in the nude did deter others from using it because they were
uncomfortable with it themselves or because they did not want to take
their families to that kind of environment. This area is a great beach.
It is the best beach in the 93 miles of the Lower Wisconsin. Prior to
the influx of the large numbers of nudists, it was used by families, and
we still get inquiries from families about where to find a nice beach on
the River. The only other we can recommend is Pecks Landing, and that is
neither as nice or as large, and tends to be more dangerous. In any
situation where an area is so dominated by one activity that all other
activities are driven out or deprived of use, we limit that use so that
all visitors have an equal opportunity to use the area."
April 24, 2000 letter from Ruthe
Badger, DNR south central regional director, to Bob Morton, Naturist
Action Committee chairman who has testified against enforcement of child
pornography laws (NAC article "Success Story: Nebraska LB
837," 1999):
"Thank you for your letter date[d] February 19,
1999 regarding the Mazomanie Wildlife Area. . . . We applaud the efforts
of the Friends of Mazomanie Beach, (FOMB), in helping to educate the
general public . . . I hope you or your representatives will be able to
attend our open house and discussion forum in Sauk City on Tuesday . .
."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
August 25, 2000:
"Acting on orders from the governor's office,
the Department of Natural Resources said Thursday it would pull the plug
on a toll-free phone message that tells callers that nudity is legal at
a Wisconsin River beach. Late in the day, Thompson chief of staff Bob
Wood sent Meyer [DNR secretary] a letter that says: 'I am directing you
to remove any messages which may be construed as supporting public
nudity or other inappropriate behavior.'"
March 30, 2000 News-Sickle-Arrow
article "Ovadal wrong when he says there's lots of cameras at the
nude beach, say DNR officials":
"Sue Oshman, Fitchburg based DNR supervisor of
the area including Mazomanie Beach, and Rick Wojciak, the DNR land team
leader directly responsible for the beach, both said they had 'never
seen anyone out there with a camera.'"
Note: WCU has pictures of nudists with still
cameras and video cameras walking down the gravel drive to Mazo Beach,
some with children in tow. See next item also.
"Mazo Beach Etiquette,"
Friends of Mazo Beach newsletter, June, 1998:
"Please do respect those who may not wish to
have their picture taken."
June 25, 2001 e-mail from DNR
attorney Michael Lutz to DNR official Ruthe Badger and Secretary Darrell
Bazzell:
". . . I'll assume that you're not interested in
attempting to enact a DNR property rule which bans nudity. . . . The DA
has publicly stated that if we have a ban on nudity they would enforce
it."
June 28, 2001 e-mail from DNR
official Susan J. Oshman to a number of other DNR officials, including DNR
attorney Michael Lutz (Subject: Report on Mazo protesters from naturist
Claude Richards):
"The protesters seemed to have really gotten to
her, as Claude's demeanor was quite a bit different yesterday as
compared to Saturday. Coming from someone who generally does not seem to
be bothered by much, and has weathered many a protest out there, I felt
what she had to say was noteworthy, and told her we would be watching
for the behaviors she described."
E-mail of unknown date from Cheri
Carr, Friends of Mazo Beach, to DNR official Sue Oshman (Note: Claude
Richards and Jim Dickey are Friends of Mazo Beach coordinators. Richards
is also on the Naturist Action Committee board.):
"I met with you and Randy Stark last October
along with Jim Dickey, Claude Richards, Timm Zumm, and Scott Fitzgerald
to talk of concerns regarding the Mazo Unit of the Lower Wisconsin
Riverway. We were told at that point one of you would be getting back to
us regarding using the winter to evaluate/plan for next year and share
ideas on how the internet sites may be able to be better used. . . .
This brief message is to check in regarding the sharing of ideas and
concerns. . . . Some rumors have been circulating of decisions having
already been made regarding management plans for the summer. I have
informed them that I cannot imagine that being the case based on what we
have been told. . . . we are available most anytime at your convenience,
however, this holiday weekend I will be gone, so please contact Jim,
Claude or Timm for anything immediate."
Mazomanie resident, wife, and mother
Selma Bennett at an October, 1999 DNR hearing on Mazo Beach (Wisconsin
State Journal, October 28, 1999):
"The last time the family went to the beach was
12 years ago . . . 'Every hot summer night,' she said, 'I think about
this, how we were chased out of there . . . I'm just sitting here
wondering when we're going to get our river back.'"
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL WCU AT
608-328-4841.
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