Dear Editor,
Re: [Nudist history cloaked in history, Aug. 5, Aldergrove Star]
I am writing to point out that the subhead used the term naturalist to describe the anniversary of a nudist club in Aldergrove which is quite misleading.
Allow me to explain. A nudist is not a naturalist, and a naturalist is not necessarily a nudist. Dictionary.Com defines a naturalist as ‘a person who studies or is an expert in natural history or nature’. A nudist is defined as ‘a person who engages in the practice of going naked wherever possible’. As you can see, the two terms are very different. The confusion may come from “naturist”, another word that can describe a nudist. Please note that this word has no ‘L’ in it.
Our club, the Langley Field Naturalists will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2023. We began our club in 1973 and from the beginning, we have always offered field trips and nature walks to our members and the community at large.
At no time, were these walks ever conducted in the nude.
Our main mandate in the community is to ‘know nature and keep it worth knowing’. We work on various conservation projects in Langley. For example, we were instrumental in transforming Brydon Lagoon from a reclaimed sewage treatment pond to a beautiful jewel in Langley City.
Again, at this time, none of the work was ever conducted in the nude.
We also conducted a successful endeavour to eradicate purple loosestrife (a very invasive species) using a special type of beetles to literally eat the plant into eradication.
Many members took part in this project and at no time were these members ever nude.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify the difference between a naturalist and a nudist. The Langley Field Naturalists meet the third Thursday of each month for a short meeting and an educational program presented by a local expert in their field.
For information or to attend a meeting when they resume in September, contact langleyfieldnaturalists@gmail.com.
And rest assured, the members and presenters are always fully clothed.
Lilianne Fuller, public relations and publicity chair, Langley Field Naturalists
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Editor’s note: Thanks for uncovering the grammatical gaff. The term used should have been ‘naturist’, not naturalist.
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