This document, prepared and provided by the Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche (CNGA) examines the problematic of the Plage des Templiers campsite, as much in its current exploitation as within the particular context of the 1980 decree redrafting. The events that took place from late 2004 to early 2009 are analyzed and followed by proposals put forward and defended by the CNGA in a bid to find a lasting solution to the question of how to maintain the naturists’ right to camp in the Gorges. The Fédération Française de Naturisme, as an actor of this move, supports the action of the CNGA in order that the practice of naturism, which has always existed in the Gorges, might satisfy the expectations of the many foreign European tourists coming to the area every year. 2009-05-06

The Problematic of the naturist campsite La Plage des Templiers The Gorges’ last remaining naturist campsite The Plage des Templiers campsite, built on land that belongs for the main part to a private local owner, has been exploited as a commercial enterprise since 1974. The land is occupied under a 9-year commercial rental lease contract, with a right to termination at the end of every three-year period. The current lease contract took effect on January, 1st, 2006. Under the terms of the contract, the campsite’s installations belong to the lessor. The campsite comprises 100 camping slots in terraced rows above the river’s low water bed. Access is possible only via a pedestrian path, with a winch to bring the luggage down. The users’ vehicles are parked up on the plateau, on a car-park belonging to the town of St Remèze. The campsite is located within the Gorges de l’Ardèche Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve is national. It is ruled by a decree taken on January 14, 1980 by the Minister for Environment and Quality of Life. The decree authorizes camping in the Gorges on four specific sites: the Mas de Serret, the Châtaigneraie, The Camping des Grottes, and the Templiers, and on two natural bivouac areas: Gaud and Gournier. As public-receiving premises, the campsite has, like any other similar enterprise, to abide by safety rules which the Departmental Under-Commission for Campsite Safety is in charge of controlling. The prevention plan of natural hazards (floods and forest fires) of the town of St Remèze also applies on the campsite. This prevention plan (“PPR” in French) was introduced in 2000. Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche Association Loi 1901 affiliée à la Fédération Française de Naturisme Siège social : C/O H. Keller-Vanssons - 23 rue du Chapitre - 26100 ROMANS Web : cngardeche.free.fr - courriel : [email protected] Page 1 sur 10 V03 – HG/FC/LL

The risks considered, even though they are presented as moderate in the PPR, must nevertheless be taken into account, bearing in mind that no significant incident has ever happened on the site since it was opened in 1974.

A naturist Club to defend and promote naturism in the Gorges In late 2004, the association Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche (CNGA) was created at the initiative of a few Templiers patrons. It took it as its goal to preserve the continuity of naturist holidays on the Templiers campsite and, more generally, to defend the practice of naturism in the Gorges de l’Ardèche. The decision to create this association was the direct consequence of a series of events which raised fears as to the future of the campsite: a conflict between the operator and the landowner, the chance discovery that the commercial enterprise was for sale on the internet, the conflictual relationships between the operator and the mayor of the town, etc. The most important of those events, however, was the provisional closure of the campsite, by a municipal by-law dated April 18, 2004 (a by-law which did not come to the knowledge of the patrons during the 2004 summer season); this provisional closure was upheld and made definitive by a Prefectoral Order on February, 18, 2005. The closure resulted from the unfavourable reports by the Campsites Safety Commission (Sept. 2, 2003 and May 11, 2004) and from the opinion of the Departmental Commission for Touristic Action (February 17, 2005), as the operator refused to implement on his campsite the few basic safety demands made by the Commission in accordance with the regulations. All through the first half of 2005, the Association mobilized itself to put forward its demands: it called on the administration for the re-opening of the campsite, and on the operator to respect the safety prescriptions required by the Commission. The Association’s agreeing with the Commission’s safety prescriptions was justified by its perception of the particularities of the site – a site which is well-known to the association’s leaders – and by the location of the campsite, confronted to a double risk: the natural hazards as defined in the PPR, and more ordinarily, the risk inherent to its installations. As defined in the texts, a site’s vulnerability to natural risk is appreciated by the presence or not of a natural hazard (flood, fire) coupled with quantifiable stakes (population, goods, activities). The natural risk is then characterized by its seriousness (in terms of human and material damage) and the probability of its occurrence. Regarding Les Templiers, given : • The low probability of occurrence of flood and fire hazards1 – precisely described as “low” in the PPR,

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The texts (Circular n° 97106 of Nov. 25, 1997, judicial guide on the prevention of major risks, etc.) all recommend to decide on the safety prescriptions in a spirit of dialogue and coherence. In this spirit, it cannot be ignored that over nearly 40 years of exploitation, no fire ignition has ever been seen in the area – which is no surprise given the predominance of non-coniferous (broad-leaved) trees, a type of tree often used as firebreak in Mediterranean massifs.

Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche Association Loi 1901 affiliée à la Fédération Française de Naturisme Siège social : C/O H. Keller-Vanssons - 23 rue du Chapitre - 26100 ROMANS Web : cngardeche.free.fr - courriel : [email protected] Page 2 sur 10 V03 – HG/FC/LL

• The stakes (a population well acquainted with the site, with light camping gear) the vulnerability, even though it is not nil, can be said to be reasonably tolerable, on condition that the operator complies strictly with the guidelines of the Departmental Campsite Safety Commission (clearing of brushwood, fire extinguishers, fire control, evacuation plan on the meeting point above the river’s highest water level, etc.) Finally, as for protecting the campsite from the risks inherent to its own equipments, the Association has always maintained that the latter had to be beyond reproach regarding the legal requirements, and would necessarily have to be eventually modernized. In a word, the Association thought that beyond the legal safety requirements, risk prevention should have been an absolute priority for the operator2 who had to ensure the security of the goods and the people whose “leisure” he was entrusted with. Thus, thanks to the Association’s commitment, and to its work on the site for the Safety Commission demands to be reasonably enforced; thanks also to the attentive ear of Mr Latournerie (the Prefect of Ardèche) and his teams, the campsite was allowed to reopen in a Prefectoral Order dated June 30, 2005.

The CNGA launches actions and proposes solutions In the wake of the Prefect’s decision, the Association decided to pursue its activity in order to: • Define its own objectives for expanding naturism in the Gorges • Start talks with the local decision-makers on the Nature Reserve (mayors) and with security professionals (firemen), in a bid to comfort its positions on the security of the site • Initiate pre-studies on the modernization of the campsite’s equipments, with a view to improving safety (power supply, winch, ...) Thus, as early as 2006, the Association expressed it strongly that the practice of naturism is a historical fact in the Gorges de l’Ardèche, that it is a showcase of the area on the national and European scenes. It is also a non-negligible economic reality and the source of tax revenues for the towns and local communities concerned. Such an approach laid the founding principles of the Association: • To bring fresh life to the practice of social and familial naturism in the Gorges, with the idea that the Templiers campsite had to keep its central place in the whole device3.

The same can be said of the “Cevenol-type” floods, more frequent between September and December – after the busy summer period – and which can anyway be mastered in terms of the time available for evacuating in front of water level rising, thanks to the particular watersupply régime of the Canyon whose narrowing in the Gorges creates an important retention basin upstream. 2 This position is in perfect accordance with the conclusions of the report made by the Inspection Générale de l’Administration, the Conseil Général des Ponts et Chaussées, the Génie Rural des Eaux et Forêts and the Inspection Générale de l’Environnement and published on June 27th, 2003 following the Sept. 2002 floods –particularly with chapters V and VII of the report. 3 The association also had it in mind to ensure a naturist presence on another site in the Gorges in view of the uncertainty of the Templiers’ situation, since as early as 2006 the operator was already stubbornly rejecting any prospect of immediate or eventual modernization of his installations. The other site being considered was La Châtaigneraie, historically the earliest naturist campsite in the Gorges (authorized by the Jan. 14th, 1980 decree). It is located on the south bank of the river Ardèche, on the town of La Bastide de Virac, and can be reached from the plateau by a pedestrian-only path. The site belongs to an English firm, “PLG Adventures”. It was closed down by prefectoral decision on April 30th, 2001. After first agreeing with the CNGA to allow the implantation of naturist facilities, PLG Adventures backpedaled (for financial reasons) on their intention of letting or selling the land. This project is currently suspended. A pre-project had been presented to the mayor of La Bastide de Virac and to the Sous-Préfet of Largentière in early 2007.

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To open up this activity locally, by favouring local economic interests (local producers, craftsmen and self-employed workers). Partnerships are already in place with restaurantowners and wine-producers. • To engage in active partnership with the actors of the Nature Reserve, more specifically with what regards environment and sports. These objectives were recalled and developed in May 2006, on the occasion of an audience with the Préfet of Ardèche. In order that these objectives might have a concrete translation, it was first necessary to perpetuate the existence of the Templiers campsite, and it was therefore necessary that the operator should abide on a permanent basis with the Safety Commission’s injunctions4. Defending this necessity has always been the position of our Association, be it with the operator, in the Advisory Committee of the Gorges de l’Ardèche Nature Reserve (where we have a seat5) or in the think tank set up by the Prefect of Ardèche to prepare the redrafting of the January 14 1980 decree. Respecting the security prescriptions will necessarily involve, sooner or later, the modernization of the campsite’s installations; this represents a heavy investment which will reasonably have to be spread over several years. With this in mind, the Association therefore devised a rough modernization pre-project that was liable to become the draft of the specifications of the requirements to be put into practice, with a work priority order. We notably advised to reinforce the role played by the Templiers campsite due to its strategic location on the river. Two specific modifications were particularly put forward in the project (on condition that their funding might be shared or helped by the authorities): • The creation on the site (above the river’s highest water level) of a first-aid post available to the rescue teams who are regularly called in on the river • The modernization of the current winch (to be operated by a permanent, reliable energy source) in order to allow for the transport of heavy loads and of people – an improvement as much for the exploitation of the campsite as for the rescue teams (for the moment, the wounded are stretchered out by the footpath) All of the Association’s reflections remained dead letter as the operator rejected on principle, beyond any financial consideration, any suggestion to upgrade his installations. Despite his declared intention of selling his business6, he also refused the purchasing offers proposed by local investors with the backing of the Association.

The operator enters in conflict with the CNGA The Association’s activism, its energy, the visibility it had acquired in the years 2005 & 2006 were unfortunately to lead, in the spring of 2006, to a conflict with the operator who could not stand that the Association: 4

These injunctions were recalled in the 30 April 2005 Prefectoral order authorizing the campsite to reopen : Article 3: the prescriptions on fire safety, salubrity and the prevention of flood hazards, as defined in the authorization to settle the campsite, must be constantly respected. 5 The association represents the French Naturist Federation (FFN) in the Advisory Committee 6 The operator had already put his business for sale on a specialized website in 2004

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Should have forced him to accept the safety devices which conditioned the Préfet’s lifting the closure of the campsite Should have agreed with the principle of modernizing the equipments Should have positioned itself as an independent collective body and not as a committee for the defense of his own particular interests Should have acquired a visibility and a competence which made it a recognized negotiator in the eyes of the authorities Should have tried to serve the campsite’s patrons’ interests by demanding explanations on unjustified price rises – all the more so as the installations were in a poorer state every year.

This is how, in the summer of 2006, the five elected representatives of the Association were forbidden to patronize the Templiers campsite, and have been unable to do so ever since7, even though most of them had been customers for more than twenty years. This situation greatly hampered the action of the Association8, without however affecting its determination.

Naturism in the turmoil of the 1980 decree redrafting At about the same time, the Préfet de l’Ardèche decided to initiate the redrafting of the January 14 1980 decree which created the Nature Reserve, and set up within the Advisory Committee of the Gorges de l’Ardèche Nature Reserve (CCRNGA) a think-tank in charge notably of reassessing the accommodation capacities of the Gaud and Gournier bivouacs and of tackling the general problematic of accommodation (campsites) in the Gorges. The CNGA, which has a seat in the CCRNGA, took an active part in the think-tank chaired by the SousPréfet of Largentière. The conclusions of the think tank’s reflections led to a project for the decree which was presented to the CCRNGA by the Préfet of Ardèche on February, 20th, 2008. Before the text can be enacted as a decree by the Prime Minister, it will have to go through a statutory consultation procedure that notably involves a public inquiry into the new regulations for the Reserve, and the opinion of the National Council for the Conservation of Nature. On the question which is most important to us, the projected text recognized and upheld the right to camp on the two sites of Les Templiers and La Châtaigneraie, which was a very good thing9. Upholding this right in the decree is essential, for if it were to be discarded all naturist activity involving accommodation in the Gorges would become impossible.

7 The 5 representatives complained to the Departmental Directorate for Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control about the discrimination exacted against them by the operator. Their complaint was not really taken into account by the Administration which apparently contented itself with a symbolic warning to the operator. 8 The 5 representatives, and a few other members of the Management Board, now spend their holidays in La Sablière, a campsite near the town of Barjac, where the Association’s General Assembly is held every year. This is all the more a hindrance as all the members, like the Management Board and the members of the “Bureau” (President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary) are scattered all over Europe and can in practice meet only about one month a year. 9 The text was later to be modified – see footnote n° 14 – though it remains unclear at which stage of the procedure and by whom it was modified.

Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche Association Loi 1901 affiliée à la Fédération Française de Naturisme Siège social : C/O H. Keller-Vanssons - 23 rue du Chapitre - 26100 ROMANS Web : cngardeche.free.fr - courriel : [email protected] Page 5 sur 10 V03 – HG/FC/LL

However, if the right to camp is a necessary condition to our presence in the Gorges, it is not sufficient to allow the exploitation of the site, which has to be in compliance with the safety prescriptions of the Campsite Safety Commission. As for that point, the Commission was, once again, to give an unfavourable opinion on the exploitation of the campsite following its visit of October 24, 200710. For the Association, the operator’s stubbornness in refusing the upgrading of his campsite – though the required works were exactly the same as those that had allowed the campsite to reopen in 2005 – was inacceptable and self-destructive both for his own interests and for the future of naturism in the Gorges. A last attempt at helping him was therefore made by the Association during a meeting11 on March, 12th, 2008. He saw to it that the attempt failed12. The situation was to lead to a new provisional closure of the campsite, by a prefectoral order dated May 15, 2008, with the possibility of reopening dependent on safety-upgrading works on the site. In spite of this decision, the operator kept his business open all through the summer of 2008. The new closure aroused deep concern in the Association in the double context of: • The redrafting of the decree, for which the intentions of the Préfet and those of the local authorities13 were still not clearly identified14 • The systematic refusal by the operator of any work and of any purchasing offer coming from the CNGA The Association then decided to remind once again the authorities15 of its position regarding security and of how important to its eyes was the future of Les Templiers as a naturist centre. To put it plainly, it accepted (under constraint) the temporary coercion measures taken by the Administration against the campsite, since the operator refused to abide by the elementary safety rules which the Association had largely contributed to implement in 2005. On the other hand, it refused that defaulting the operator become the pretext to a definitive closure of the site and to the suppression, in the future decree, of the right to camp.

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The same commission had already pointed at the same defects during a routine visit on May, 31st, 2007; the operator had paid no heed. During this meeting the delegation which met with the operator laid its conditions to possible help from the Association: • That the operator wrote to the Préfet to pledge he would implement the Commission’s prescriptions • That, should he be forced to carry out heavy and expensive upgrading work, he proposed to negotiate the priorities and the schedule of payment with the Administration • That, prior to any help, he put a definitive end to the conflict he had with the Association 12 In a letter written in answer after the March 12 meeting the operator asked that the Association « be in the future able to adopt a firm and courageous attitude in front of the excesses of the Administration » -- which was all the more unacceptable as it was out of the question for him to even start considering the slightest upgrading of the installations. 13 On May, 22nd, 2008, the Sous-Préfet of Largentière received a delegation of the CNGA in the presence of the mayor of St Remèze. He held, on the occasion, contradictory views on the one hand on the Administration’s desire to authorize the continuation of naturist activity in the Reserve, and on the other hand on the fact that the administrative closure of the Templiers campsite was now to be contemplated. 14 The Association had at its disposal documents about a meeting of the National Council for the Conservation of Nature held in Paris on June, 17th, 2008, in compliance with the statutory procedure preceding the signature of the decree. These documents showed that the text that had been proposed for discussion during the Council’s debate was not the same text that had been presented in February 2008 to the Advisory Committee (CCRNGA). This new text suppressed the right to camp for the site of La Châtaigneraie; for Les Templiers the right was threatened with suppression in a note annexed by a State service, the Regional Direction for Infrastructure (Direction Régionale de l’Equipement, DIREN) 15 A letter was sent to the Sous-Préfet of Largentière on June, 18, 2008, and to the Préfet of Ardèche on June 23rd, 2008. 11

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The hope of taking over the campsite after the 2008 season The 2008 summer season was to end up on two noticeable events, both likely to bring about new development in the Templiers case. The first one was that the Association confirmed its backing of two local personalities (naturists themselves) who had made it clear that they were ready to invest in and devote themselves to a new naturist campsite in Les Templiers. The second one was the totally unexpected decision, by the operator, to use a clause in his rental lease for the land which allows for an anticipated termination of the contract after the first three years of exercise (the current lease had been signed in 2006). The request for the termination of the contract was notified to the land’s owner by a solicitor, with effect on December 31st, 2008. As is stipulated in the lease contract, the campsite’s installations and equipments become the property of the lessor (the land’s owner). As for the business itself, which is the operator’s virtual property, even though it remains an incorporeal movable good representing a set of organized assets, its residual value is dramatically impaired since its object – to provide the service of renting out camping slots on the site – becomes unfounded in the absence of land to rent out. In autumn, the two local investors carried out negotiations with the owner of the land over a projected rental lease which was to become effective as soon as the campsite’s former operator left the premises. They also signed with the operator a provisional sales agreement whose substantial amount represented a comfortable compensation for his business and for the few marginal plots of land which he owns – in the outer parts of the campsite. They drew up a document assessing the whole situation, with a condition-of-premises report and a five-year investment plan to bring a lasting solution to the recurrent problems linked with the various closure orders that had been taken. Their move met with favourable reactions and a kindly attitude on the part of the Administration and of local administrative management. In short, their involvement was obvious and efficient, and their project viable enough to hope that a new naturist option would soon be available in Les Templiers.

The operator’s latest volte-face in early 2009 The latest months’ advance is now challenged by the operator who has so far disrespected all his commitments16: • He refuses to leave the premises

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The operator’s change of mind seems to have been the direct consequence of the lenient judicial decision he faced when the Préfet de l’Ardèche brought him to court for continuing to operate his exploitation during the summer 2008 despite the prefectoral provisional closure order of May 15 2008.

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He has engaged in negotiation with the land’s owner to try and find an arrangement that would permit him to occupy the land without any formal lease contract He has backpedaled on his promise to sell his business He has started booking for the 2009 summer season.

Where things stand as of May 2009 The Advisory Committee (CCRNGA) met on March, 25th, 2009; the meeting was chaired by the Préfet of Ardèche. The Committee got to learn the “conclusions of the preparatory work on the Reserve-creating decree redrafting” – and to learn about the Administration’s position17 on the future of the Templiers campsite, which can be summed up as follows: If the campsite is still administratively closed when the revised decree is finalized, the right to camp on the site shall be repealed” Should this happen, exploiting any campsite – either naturist or not – in the Templiers would then become impossible. The decree is scheduled to be enforceable in 2011, after a procedure in which the projected regulation provisions will be decided upon in spring 2010 at the latest18. Following our representative’s intervention19, the Préfet was to consider once again his responsibilities, and the necessity for the case of Les Templiers to be tackled with all the stringency and safety requirement implied in these responsibilities20. He announced that the Campsite Safety Commission would lead a new inspection of the site on April, 3rd, 2009 and presented the recommendations that would follow as a “determining opinion”21. From what the Association knows, the Commission gave yet another very unfavourable opinion on the reopening of the campsite, which is thus expected to remain administratively closed for the duration of the 2009 summer season – as was already the case in 2008.

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The Administration maintains the suggestions made to the National Council for the Conservation of Nature on June 17, 2008 (see footnote n°14). It even claims that the Council, asked about its opinion, made the following recommendation : “Taking into consideration of the Templiers Campsite’s administrative position: to be excluded from the decree in case of administrative closure”. 18 The task of rewriting the decree is carried out by the Sous-Préfet of Largentière. At the moment, several points still need to be discussed, notably the administrative situation of the Templiers campsite. The procedure will follow this schedule: • The Public Inquiry Dossier should be ready in autumn 2009 • Gathering opinions should take the next 6 months (up to the spring of 2010) • The dossier will be transmitted for examination by the central Administration in June 2010 • The new decree will be signed in 2011 19 Frédéric Chandelier, who holds the FFN seat in the CCRNGA, recalled our objectives and our will to maintain Les Templiers as the last naturist site in the Gorges. 20 Nobody, except the operator, will challenge the Association’s steady position of defending the implementation of reasonable measures to ensure the best safety conditions for the naturist patrons of the campsite. We are therefore not opposed in principle to the Prefectoral positions. However, these positions – a very general leitmotif systematically put forward by each new Préfet appointed at the head of the Département – have limits in the facts and from a material point of view, to the extent that the operator has often reproached the Association with “outpoping the Pope” (in 2008, for instance). 21 He also evoked a letter sent by the operator’s son, a letter which could lead one to perceive a budding awareness of the campsite safety problematic and of the necessity to bring concrete answers to the problem. The letter unfortunately turned out to be deceptive since the safety commission’s visit took place in the worst conditions possible.

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Given the situation, the CNGA and the FFN (French Naturist Federation) requested an appointment with the Sous-Préfet of Largentière, who is in charge of the Templiers case. The delegation, accompanied by the investors, was received on April, 10th, 2009. It reaffirmed the FFN’s position: everything must be done to maintain the existence of the Templiers, which is the last remaining naturist campsite in the Gorges. It reaffirmed its opposition to any type of relocation of the naturists outside Les Templiers. It noted that, as the CNGA feared, the deterioration of the situation – due to the operator’s current attitude – was a fact the Administration intended to use in order to close the campsite once and for all, and to suppress the right to camp on the Templiers campsite in the future decree. It therefore asked that the right to upgrade the site be maintained until a lasting solution is found, and that the Administration commit itself to not taking advantage of the situation to suppress the right to camp in the projected new decree. In this respect, it reaffirmed that such a closure – beside the fact that it would leave the naturist claims in the Gorges intact – would inevitably bring about other problems on the site, as: • It would be a blow to the local economy and to the image of the area • It would encourage the degradation of the site and would favour vandalism, as has been the case for several years now in La Châtaigneraie. • It would encourage loose behaviours and uncontrolled frequentation on the nearby site of La Pastière – a problem which is perfectly regulated by the presence of an organized familial naturist structure close by. • It would not increase the efficiency of the rescue teams called in on the La Pastière rapid in summer; their interventions are made easier by the presence of naturists (maintenance of the access path, helpful presence on the rapid and on the campsite) and, as has already been explained earlier, could be made even more efficient. The conclusions22 of this meeting and the risk of losing the site of Les Templiers were presented during the 52nd Conference of the FFN which took place in Arnaoutchot (Landes) on April 18-19 2009, on the theme “Naturism and environment”.

What can/must be done ? The Templiers naturist campsite is now dramatically jeopardized. Not only is it forbidden to operate, but the operator occupies illegally most of the land and of the installations. It future is seriously compromised if a solution that guarantees (either straight away or later) the implementation of the safety demands made by the Commission cannot be found in the next few months. Quite obviously, such a solution cannot be found by the campsite’s operator, who is today the main obstacle to any reasonable evolution on the site of Les Templiers. His completely irrational and selfdestructive attitude towards his own interests rules out all attempts at conciliation or at convincing him.

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They were confirmed on April 30 2009 in an FFN letter to the Sous-Préfet of Largentière.

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The last chance for the campsite is therefore to be rapidly taken over by people who are able to carry an installations-upgrading project both technically and financially. The FFN, involved from the beginning along with the CNGA – it notably supported the CNGA’s action through an open letter written by its president to the local mayors and elected representatives in the spring of 2005 – helps and supports the actions and propositions of the CNGA. At the same time, the CNGA deems it necessary to reiterate strongly to the Administration the demands of maintaining the right to upgrade the Templiers until a lasting solution is found and of not taking advantage of the current situation to suppress the right to camp in the projected new decree. Today, all the naturists, and those who are attached to the Templiers more particularly, must know that time is short and too late to defer action. Beyond everyone’s individual sensitiveness, judgment and positions, they must understand that the Templiers campsite, located in the heart of a nature reserve, is unique in France and in Europe and that it is inconceivable to lose it without reacting. The loss would put an end to the exceptional project of a human-sized, nature-respecting tourism and of a model of human integration in the reserve’s ecosystem with a didactic vocation towards the future generations. Indeed, it must be remembered that it is “the appropriation of the place by naturist tourism23” in the 1950s which is the hallmark of the discovery of the Gorges de l’Ardèche. The Gorges’ history owes quite a lot to naturism. The last remaining chance of saving the only naturist campsite of the Gorges is dependent on a large mobilization in favour of the CNGA’s proposals. The naturists must rapidly take sides, and do it publicly. Supporting the unreasonable stubbornness of the operator would be the gravest mistake for the future of naturism in the Gorges.

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In De la Dent de Rez aux Gorges de l’Ardèche, Syndicat de Gestion des Gorges de l’Ardèche, éditions de l’Ibie, Avril 2008

Club Naturiste des Gorges de l’Ardèche Association Loi 1901 affiliée à la Fédération Française de Naturisme Siège social : C/O H. Keller-Vanssons - 23 rue du Chapitre - 26100 ROMANS Web : cngardeche.free.fr - courriel : [email protected] Page 10 sur 10 V03 – HG/FC/LL