More bad news for Hippie Hollow

[Hooked]

Often described as "The Jewel of Lake Travis", one of Austin's most well known and only legally clothing-optional lake shores is experiencing a harrowing threat. Enacted on October 1st of this year, entrance fees to the park have sky rocketed much to chagrin of many faitherful users of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)park. Fees were $5 per vehicle per day or $50 per vehicle per year (unlimited visits) Most people would agree, paying merely to enter and park at a PUBLIC lake shore is rediculous, but at the same time, most people were happy to pay knowing their fees were going to improve the park they loved so much. Now the fees have shot up out of control and a lot of people are pissed. The entrance fee is now $10 per vehicle ($3 fee increase imposed at all LCRA parks plus a special $2 fee only applied at Hippie Hollow) and the annual permits are $75, which even with an annual permit you must pay $2 on top of that to get in.

I consider this an outrage and a sideways attack on our lifestyle and our freedoms.

[Hooked]

Often described as "The Jewel of Lake Travis", one of Austin's most well known and only legally clothing-optional lake shores is experiencing a harrowing threat. Enacted on October 1st of this year, entrance fees to the park have sky rocketed much to chagrin of many faitherful users of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)park. Fees were $5 per vehicle per day or $50 per vehicle per year (unlimited visits) Most people would agree, paying merely to enter and park at a PUBLIC lake shore is rediculous, but at the same time, most people were happy to pay knowing their fees were going to improve the park they loved so much. Now the fees have shot up out of control and a lot of people are pissed. The entrance fee is now $10 per vehicle ($3 fee increase imposed at all LCRA parks plus a special $2 fee only applied at Hippie Hollow) and the annual permits are $75, which even with an annual permit you must pay $2 on top of that to get in.

I consider this an outrage and a sideways attack on our lifestyle and our freedoms.

[Trailscout]

To give you some means of comparison, parking by the day at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is $2.00 per vehicle.

If you buy an annual pass, there is no daily parking fee. Annual pass is only $25.00.

For that you get miles of mountain bike trails, a well-maintained jogging trail, picnic tables, water fountains, a restroom, a canoe launch ramp and a scenic river. Nudity is not allowed. There used to be skinnydippers back in the 70's, but the rangers clamped down in response to numerous complaints.

[aunaturelone]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Most people would agree, paying merely to enter and park at a PUBLIC lake shore is rediculous <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>It isn't a conspiracy against nudists. It has to do with the budget crunch. Parks had been supported somewhat out of the general fund but now government is looking at user fees as a revenue source. Park fees everywhere are going up.

Here in CA, you can't even park on the side of the road in the Angeles National Forest without buying an "Adenture Pass" or use the toilets at a campground without first paying the day use fee.

[Trailscout]

Well, go naked at your local pay-to-use park. If anyone complains, tell them that the admission fees had to come out of your clothing budget. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

"Well, go naked at your local pay-to-use park. If anyone complains, tell them that the admission fees had to come out of your clothing budget."

Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stu /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[Hooked]

aunaturalone--Au contraire!

I realize fees are going up everywhere but HH has been given an additional $2 nude use fee...that is clearly unfair. Every other LCRA park does not have this additional fee. All parks should have the same fees as they have been for years and years and years...to charge more just because the area is clothing-optional is not right!

I suggest you contact your local ACLU chapter. They might be interested in taking this to court.

[Trailscout]

Hooked,

I think someone in power really does have it in for Hippie Hollow. As you can see from my earlier comparison, their fees are way out of line with other public recreation areas. They clearly intend to use high fees to drive out the nude bathers.

And its not like we can't demonstrate that this park hasn't been under attack. They already have the "no child" rule. Since when has any other public park you know of forbidden children? That is already discriminatory against families.

[aunaturelone]

Hmmm... Who has governing jurisdiction over the park? City, county, special district, state or federal? (I don't know who runs the LRCA.) That's where you need to apply the pressure.

It is interesting that they won't just go out and ban the nudity, but instead just try to squeeze out more $$$$. If they really don't want the nudity, they are obviously vulnerable on the issue, else the nudity would be gone. $2 doesn't seem much of a surcharge and it certainly wouldn't stop me from going.

Do you really have to buy a $75 annual permit just to use ANY park? What would a tourist from out of state do?

If I understand it correctly, there is no other public nude recreation venue in the area. I suspect they simply decided that the nudies are going to be more willing to pay the extra bucks because they don't have anywhere else to go. You've become a cash cow. The more money nudity generates, the less likely it is to be shut down.

Kind of reminds me of how they enforce the nudity ordinance at Rincon Beach out by Santa Barbara. They ticket just enough to generate revenue but not enough to actually discourage the nudity.

LA County will typically ticket you and if you refuse to pay the fine and instead ask for a court case, they'll delay and delay and delay, hoping you'll pay the ticket just to get out of having to show up for your hearing repeatedly only to have the prosecution get another postponement. About 20 years ago a judge threw out several hundred tickets (All in one day at Pirate's Cove, next to Zuma) because the county was obviously ticketing for the harassment and revenue value but never intended to prosecute.

Won't the higher charge be more likely to discourage the gawkers more than the nudists? Maybe it will be a nicer place this way....

just a thought.

[Trailscout]

We need to price the voyeurs out of the park, not the nudists.
Charge $25/day admission if you keep your clothes on at the river, or just 25 cents/day if you leave them in your car.

Let the children return. It makes more sense to have an orderly well managed swimming hole than to shrug your shoulders and say, "It's rowdy, so we won't let kids go to the only skinnydipping spot for miles around".

[Frank R]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by aunaturelone:
[QB] Hmmm... Who has governing jurisdiction over the park? City, county, special district, state or federal? (I don't know who runs the LRCA.) That's where you need to apply the pressure.

Actually, it is LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) which was created by the State of Texas. Lake Travis (an artificial or man made lake) is under the control of LCRA. However, Hipple Hollow is a Travis County park and, so far as I know, is the only state park where nudity is legal. The increase in fees has nothing to do with who is using the park, it is just that the county is coming up short of money (again) and wants more.

[Hooked]

Oy vey...is there an echo in here? Well there's about to be one...let's clarify two points here...

ANNUAL PERMITS are not required to enter the park, day users can purchase a $10 day pass.

To those who suggest this is not an attack of nudism let me again reiterate the fact that the increase is $2 more at Hippie Hollow than at any other LCRA park
...maybe they think they can get more at HH than other parks..you may be totally correct, kudos for you but that's NOT THE POINT. The point is, it's not fair to add a $2 surcharge to just this one park because (and you know this is why) nudity is legal there.

Thank you for your attention

[Trailscout]

For that price they should let parents take their kids.