Mazomanie Bottoms State Natural Area, or Mazo Beach as it is colloquially named, was once a beautiful beach where clothing was optional. Many naturists in the state of Wisconsin found solace in a place where they could feel the warmth of the sun and the cool, refreshing water on their skin without judgment or having to pay any amount of money to enjoy the elements in this manner where it was legal and widely accepted that we could do so. However, due to illicit activities by unruly parties, this welcoming space is now rendered permanently closed.

There are a lot more of us naturists who just want to enjoy the beach than those who come to Mazo with the intention of causing trouble. We as a community believe it’s completely unfair that we’re being punished for the actions of other people and don’t believe that the experience should be ruined for everyone else. Most of us want to just have a relaxing day under the sun with the option to go au naturel if we so choose.

It is absolutely acceptable to tighten the rules, increase the fines, or do what is needed to create a more family-friendly environment so that everyone feels comfortable, but closing the beach to everyone who shows up simply with the intention of having a peaceful time without disturbing anyone else is an exceedingly disproportionate consequence.

Now that this unjust decision has been enacted, the rest of us naturists have to either spend rather high fees if we want to gather in public spaces, only two of which are nearby, and the nearest public beach for us to enjoy is all the way in Chicago. While it might be reasonable to ban the people themselves who have committed illegal acts in our designated spaces, to ban absolutely everyone is downright ridiculous and, under a certain lens, could be viewed as discriminatory due to the large majority of our community having been forced out of one of our most loved spaces.

One point made by the DNR is that the illicit behavior may repel additional tourism, but we would like to counter that: Closing the entire beach is doing a far more thorough job of deterring potential vacationers from visiting. That said, most of those who sign, whether or not they are from Wisconsin, care about this cause and serve to represent the very population of potential tourists to the Mazomanie area with which the DNR appears to be concerned. Regardless of where we’re from, naturists can and will travel to find a gorgeous site to visit, but eliminating the state’s only legal public nude beach will drive away locals and out-of-staters alike. Lastly, if a beach-goer is not a nudist or naturist, closing the beach to all possible attendees eliminates even more money spent in the state of Wisconsin by people who are looking to get into the hobby or just attend a carefree and naturally beautiful waterfront.

Due to the fact that the future renovations do not include the beach, allowing people to attend it as they occur will increase awareness and excitement about what will be done to improve the area as a whole, which will bring in even more tourists. Therefore, reopening Wisconsin’s sole legal public nude beach will only serve to help a cause that both the DNR and the local naturists care about, which is building community and thereby increasing commerce. In Mazomanie specifically, there was a campground that lost business, along with a restaurant and a liquor store that closed after Mazo Beach was shut down.

The naturists in both Wisconsin and the rest of the United States implore you to please reopen Mazo Beach for the season to those of us who have no intention of disturbing the rest of the public. If there need to be stricter rules, time limits, or security implemented to prevent troublemakers from participating in or initiating illicit acts in what needs to be a harmless space, that would be acceptable, but all we want is for the beach to be reopened to those of us who intend to enjoy it peacefully.

However, if this cannot be done at Mazomanie Beach specifically for any reason, we petition you to designate a different public beach for legal clothing-optional access in a similar and nearby area. We believe that this would be a feasible compromise for the DNR, the naturists residing in both WI and elsewhere, and Wisconsin as a state. Opening up a a public legal clothing-optional beach, be it Mazo or otherwise, would still attract naturists, generic beach-goers, and tourists alike, thereby facilitating more commerce and income for the state itself.

In summation, we ask you to please reopen Mazo Beach to the public or designate another area where people can legally make the choice to wear clothes or forgo them. Nude is not lewd!

Sincerely,

The Naturist Community