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FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
The Mid-Winter Naturist Festival is February 16-21!
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Check out our website!
Get the latest on our commitment to Naturism, Permaculture, Health, Nutrition, Spirituality and Community.
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Our New Video is now LIVE!!
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We have beautiful Cabins and RVs to suit your desires.
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To see pictures and descriptions of all our rentals and a map of locations.....go here.
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February is an exciting time at Sunsport
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Mid-Winter Naturist Festival 2023:
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The Mid-Winter Naturist Festival, February 16-21, is Sunsport's and the Naturist Society Foundation's largest event of the year. Sunsport will be full of naturists from all over North America to choose from over 210 scheduled activities.
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Favorites Armand and Angelina and Faerie Elaine will return. Drum circles, live entertainment, and movies happen each evening, four or five workshops every hour daytimes, and trips to clothing-optional beaches on Tuesday. There will also be skin cancer screening available Saturday.
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The restaurant will be open for three buffet style meals daily. You can find the updated full Festival program including a description of each workshop on Sunsport's and the Naturist Society Foundation's websites.
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Sunsport members who lead at least two workshops or volunteer to help for at least five hours will have their registration fee waived. Those wishing to volunteer in the restaurant, at the hospitality booth, in the office, checking showers and rest rooms, moving chairs, or parking cars should attend a volunteer meeting Wednesday, February 8th, at 8 pm in the pavilion.
Anyone registered for the Festival may set up a booth at no charge in Vendor/Practitioner Row as early as 9 am on Wednesday, February 15th. Vendors and practitioners must supply their own tables, chairs, canopies, etc. as desired. These booths help to enrich the Festival experience.
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Check out the slide show on our homepage of all the best photos of the Sunsport Experience by our talented photographers.
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Community Happenings
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Events in January
There will be a Community Drum Circle on Friday, February 3rd.
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The Annual Coed Fun Bowl Volleyball Tournament will be on Sunday, February 26th. To register for the volleyball tournament, sign up at the volleyball court any afternoon with a $5 entry fee. All skill levels are mixed with teams made up of different people each game.
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On going activities include Water Aerobics Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 10 am, morning pickleball, line dancing Tuesday at 9:30 am, yoga Thursday at 10 am, daily afternoon pétanque and volleyball, and Saturday evening dances.
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The Permaculture Committee led by Geoff Farmer organized a project to remove invasive green salvinia from the surface of the pond near the clubhouse. Fifteen people spent over 2 hours using boats to move the salvinia to the dock where a crew put into buckets. The salvinia was moved to the community garden area where it will make excellent fertilizer. Thanks to all the Sunsport members and guests who helped.
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Karaoke - Friday evenings.
Weekly Dances - Saturday evenings.
Daily Events - Ongoing activities include daily afternoon Pétanque at 2, Water Aerobics Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 10, Line Dancing at 9:30am, Morning Pickleball
Monthly Drum Circle
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The February 3rd First Friday Community Drum Circle is ON!
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Note: the special drum circle ground fees will be in effect only until 10 pm when the office closes. After 10 pm entry, regular ground fees will apply.
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Please arrive before 10pm to enjoy the $5 price.
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2023 Events at Sunsport
Mid-Winter Naturist Festival - February 16-21
Family Youth Gathering - July 8-16
Young Adult Weekends - January 13-15, May 12-14, September 8-10
Community Drum Circles - The first Friday of each month.
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Zen Time:
While at the Festival, checkout the beautiful Serenity Garden which now has a Buddha statue surrounded by flowers, a pond with a waterfall, and a new Zen Garden.
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Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort
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Although Sunsport's legal name is Sunsport Gardens Inc., we use the title Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort. The Family part is important.
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There is a family with three generations residing at Sunsport plus many other children. But that's not all...
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Children are welcome at all activities at Sunsport. Our Mid-Winter Naturist Festival is the only large event sponsored by a national naturist organization that has a full schedule of activities designed to interest children.
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Sunsport's July Family Youth Gathering is a wonderful experience for children with parents encouraged to participate with their children.
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Sunsport employs several young adults.
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I am proud that Sunsport provides a safe, healthy resort and community for families.
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Artist-in-Residence Program
Calling all Artists, Dancers, Painters, Sculptors, Musicians, Writers etc
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Sunsport has created an Artist-in-Residence Program. Stay for a week or a month+.
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Free camping and day fees.
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Create art or relax and commune with nature.
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February is always Sunsport's busiest month of the year.
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Most camping sites with hook-ups are full as are rental units. However, we always have space for tenting and dry camping.
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This is a great time to enjoy Sunsport with friends you haven't seen for a while and an opportunity to make new friends.
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Sunsport Tee Shirts.......
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The office now has a variety of Sunsport Gardens T-shirts available.
The shirts have attractive designs by Christopher Vuk.
Purchase them at the office or online on our website (coming soon)
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the Naturally Nude Cafe.......whats cookin.....
Sunsport grown Vegetables!
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Buffalo fried cauliflower- $8
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2 eggs, almost any style - $4
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IMPORTANT TRASH POLICY CHANGE
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The trash area in the northeast corner of Sunsport has been eliminated. Large trash items may now be placed only in the maintenance yard with the supervision of Team Leader Roger Byrd, preferably Monday through Friday.
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The trailer holding recyclable scrap metal will be moved to the maintenance area. Plastic bags full of waste should be deposited in the dumpster in the recycling area, not in the maintenance area.
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Reminder: Please use the appropriate containers for throwing out items. Place materials such as clean paper and cardboard in the yellow bins; cans, plastics (except styrofoam, utensils,and bags), juice boxes, and glass and plastic bottles in the blue bins. Place large items such as platforms and furniture near, but not in, the dumpster. Place only bagged garbage and small items in the dumpster.
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To help Sunsport and the environment, *please deposit aluminum cans in a special bin with a round hole in the top in the main recycling area.
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- The yellow containers are for paper and flattened cardboard
- The blue containers are for aluminum cans*, glass, juice boxes, and plastics except styrofoam, bags, and utensils.
- Deposit other trash in the large grey or black trash bins with tops.
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Please secure all trash cans tightly since raccoons are skilled at opening containers and making large messes. Thanks.
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the Gardens of Sunsport
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Miss Peggy with her amazing Poinsettias
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Some monarch caterpillars having a feast on some milkweed.
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ArtBox & Serenity Garden
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The Serenity Garden Pond has been rebuilt and the area is becoming an amazing event space..
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Birds Life with Theresa
❤️
Hi
I'm Lucy
the
African Cape Parrot
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Very few Cape parrots remain in the wild, and they are classified as an endangered species.
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Permaculture Sunsport News
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The Big Harvest: Salvinia
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We had a community Salvinia harvesting partry. Big turn out helped clear the pond in 2 hours.
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Salvinia minima is a species of aquatic, floating fern that grows on the surface of still waterways. It is usually referred to as common salvinia or water spangles. Salvinia minima is native to South America, Mesoamerica, and the West Indies and was introduced to the United States in the 1920s-1930s. It is classified as an invasive species internationally and can be detrimental to native ecosystems. This species is similar to but should not be confused with giant salvinia, Salvinia molesta.
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Invasive species
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Though Salvinia minima is native to Latin America and the West Indies, it has been introduced to parts of the United States, where it is considered an invasive alien species. It was first noted in the U.S. in St. John's river in eastern Florida. It is thought to have been transported there by shipping boats in the late 1920s or early 1930s.[1] S. minima quickly expanded its range throughout Florida and then expanded westward and northward in the United States.
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Effect on native ecosystems
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Mats of S. minima can block sunlight from entering the water, which suppresses the growth of underwater plants that photosynthesize, resulting in less dissolved oxygen in the water. This can lead to fish kills. Waterfowl species that feed on either fish or native aquatic plants can also be affected by a lack of food. In bayou and swamp areas specifically, S. minima is known to out-compete the floating aquatic plant duckweed (Lemnoideae). Duckweed is a relatively benign plant that is rich in protein and serves as a common source of food for many fish and bird species in its ecosystem. S. minima, however, has questionable nutritional value, although the Salvinia genus has been studied for use as a supplement in livestock feeds. The result of an invasion of S. minima on native ecosystems can be a serious threat to native species and overall biodiversity. As such, S. minima is considered an invasive species and is described on the Global Invasive Species Database.
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S. minima is known to out-compete the floating aquatic plant duckweed (Lemnoideae).
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Management Efforts
Mechanical Control
Mechanical methods include the physical removal of S. minima from areas where it is established. This can include raking the surface of the water or seining the plants off with large nets.
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Chemical Control - Not at Sunsport!
Chemical herbicides that have been used with the best success on S. minima include the ingredients fluridone, imazamox, and penoxsulam.
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Biological Control
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Biological control methods involve the introduction of another species in order to contain the spread of an invasive species. This method aims to bring more balance back to an ecosystem that has been invaded by weakening the invasive organism so it has fewer competitive advantages, as well as decreasing or containing the invasive species' population.
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Biological control efforts for S. minima have been centered around the tiny salvinia weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae. This weevil is native to South America. It was introduced accidentally in Florida, a state in which salvinia is widespread but considered manageable. The manageable level of salvinia species, both S. minima and Salvinia molesta (giant salvinia), is thought to be caused by the presence of these weevils, which live and feed on the salvinia leaves.
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Biological control efforts for S. minima have been centered around the tiny salvinia weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae
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Please make a small donation to help us continue to develop the Meditation and Permaculture Projects.
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The Sunsport Permaculture Group has been very active. Recent projects have been enlarging the Community Garden and digging a swale to improve the water flow. The meetings have been well attended. Meetings are twice a month.
Check the website for exact day, at 7 pm in the restaurant.
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The Permaculture Sunsport group is meeting on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in the dining room. Contact Geoffrey Farmer, [email protected], to receive notice of meetings and garden workdays.
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******************************************
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Hey What is Permaculture?
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Permaculture is a philosophy of design for creating a sustainable human culture. That is, it's a way of thinking about how we set up the support systems around us: shelter, food, water, energy, society and business. Well designed permaculture systems allow us to live as a beneficial part of the ecosystems around us.
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Join our FaceBook page for more details and meetings of the Sunsport Permaculture & Community Garden Group .
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Art & Naturism.......naturist spirited art
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This Rebellious Female Painter of Bold Nude Portraits has been Overlooked for a Century
Over a century ago, Suzanne Valadon began painting lively nude portraits of sensual and self-assured women, with full, curvy bodies and pubic hair. Occasionally, she painted nude men as well, bucking art historical tradition and presenting them as figures of desire. Her canvases were full of bold outlines, vibrant colors and loose brushwork, and she deftly illustrated her subjects' interior lives, rather than the idealized scenes of leisure so prevalent at the time.
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Suzanne Valadon was a famous artists' model who posed for Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec before striking out on her own to paint.
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Valadon's paintings featured contemporary women with body hair, curves and a strong sense of self, diverging from the delicate femininity and timelessness favored in art.
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But today, curators and art historians are taking a second look at Valadon's works, and reconsidering her life with more nuance. From the start, Valadon was a controversial figure in Paris' thriving art scene at the turn of the century, known as much for her bohemian attitudes and provocative personal life as her distinct, rebellious vision.
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Nude Sitting on a Sofa, 1916
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"People were quite scandalized by her lifestyle," said Nancy Ireson, deputy director for collections and exhibitions at the Barnes Foundation. "The fact that she had a younger lover; the fact that her son (the artist Maurice Utrillo), who was a famous painter, was also an alcoholic."This is over 100 years ago, but I'm sure that women still face the same kinds of criticisms these days. How do you balance a successful career with being a good wife and a good mother?"
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In 1865, Suzanne Valadon was born Marie-Clémentine Valadon to an impoverished single mother in Montmartre. In her 2017 biography, "Renoir's Dancer," Catherine Hewitt describes the young artist as a headstrong, imaginative child who exasperated the nuns trying to teach her. Valadon held a series of short-lived menial jobs before training as a circus performer at 15 years old, but her career was cut short by a back injury sustained during a trapeze stunt.
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It was during her recovery that Valadon began to draw. Lacking the training or money typically needed to enter the art world, she began modeling for artists. It was a salacious job, considered to be on par with sex work at the time, but one that offered her direct access to the art milieu of Paris. Valadon slipped into the new role with ease, serving as painter Pierre Puvis de Chavannes' model for more than seven years. In works by lesser-known artists, she transformed into figures of allegory and myth: the sultry Greek siren in a Gustav Wertheimer canvas, the feminine embodiment of truth for Czech painter Vojtĕch Hynais, always with her auburn hair as her calling card.
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Her reputation spread through word of mouth, as well as her determination to socialize and network in spaces exclusive to male artists, particularly the smoky, absinthe-steeped rooms of Parisian cafe culture. Soon Valadon was populating the works of some of the most famous Impressionist painters of the time. Most famously, she danced across Renoir's scenes of societal leisure, in "Dance in the City" and, likely, "Dance at Bougival," both from 1883."It wasn't just that she was good-looking," said Ireson. "She understood how to perform, how to create a character. And so in different works, by different artists, she becomes almost a different person."This Victorian painting depicting two women in love was nearly lost in history
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A stop-start career
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Valadon did more than just pose. She used the sessions as informal training, observing and learning from the artists for whom she modeled. When she showed painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, he introduced her to Degas, who became her mentor in 1889.As she was beginning to stake her claim in the art world, Valadon was raising a young child. She had become pregnant at 18, and though she never named the father, Miguel Utrillo, a young artist with whom she had a close bond, formally claimed paternity.
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This months Friday evening,
February 3rd monthly Community Drum Circle is ON!!!
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Please Support These Important Organizations
Fighting for Our Freedoms
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Vision: Creating a clothing-optional world where your body does not define who you are.Mission: Promoting a culture of body acceptance through clothing-optional recreation, education, and community outreach.Values: Naturism, Understanding, Diversity, Education
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The Naturist Action Committee is the political adjunct to The Naturist Society Foundation. NAC exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America, and supports the responsible recreational nude use of public lands.
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The Naturist Education Foundation is the nonprofit informational and educational adjunct to The Naturist Society Foundation and is dedicated to improving the awareness of naturism and body acceptance among both naturists and non-naturists, including business leaders, legislators, and the college community. NEF seeks to achieve an understanding and acceptance of naturists and their activities throughout North America.
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NAC and NEF are 501(c) nonprofit corporations.
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Our Mission: Simply put, we exist “To advocate nudity and nude recreation in appropriate settings while educating and informing society of their value and enjoyment.”
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The American Association for Nude Recreation is the largest, most long-established organization of its kind in North America. With roots dating to 1931, we have grown from our humble beginnings to an organization that has served 213,000 individuals throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and beyond. These members enjoy their own backyards and pools with family and friends, as well as over 180 nudist resorts and affiliates.
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The Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) is Canada’s national nudist organization. Along with the Fédération québécoise de naturisme (FQN), the FCN represents and promotes the naturist lifestyle as wholesome, healthy, and enjoyable.
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Our Mission Statement
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The Federation of Canadian Naturists is a member-supported, not for profit organization dedicated to fostering a greater understanding, acceptance and appreciation of naturism as a way of life throughout Canada.
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Incorporated in 1980, SFFB has long worked tirelessly for the advancement of naturism in general, and clothing-optional beaches in particular, across the entire state of Florida.SFFB’s Legal Defense Fund has financially assisted countless naturists over it’s tenure.
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B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, former Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Programming Partner for Haulover Beach and an adjunct of South Florida Free Beaches (SFFB), founders of Haulover Beach’s naturist section in 1991.
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Rate Sheet
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Reservation and Deposit Policy 2023-2024 Winter Season
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