Local nudist resort sees influx of new members, faces development challenges

With National Nude Recreation Week beginning on July 7, management at Montgomery County's lone nudist resort — Emerald Lake in Porter — say the resort is seeing an influx of new members, especially people who are younger and also who identify as LGBTQ. The resort is hosting one segment of the 2019 World Record Largest Skinnydip on July 13 as part of the week-long celebration. less With National Nude Recreation Week beginning on July 7, management at Montgomery County's lone nudist resort — Emerald Lake in Porter — say the resort is seeing an influx of new members, especially people ... more Photo: Photographs By Jeff Forward/The Villager / Photographs By Jeff Forward/The Villager Photo: Photographs By Jeff Forward/The Villager / Photographs By Jeff Forward/The Villager Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Local nudist resort sees influx of new members, faces development challenges 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Officials at Emerald Lake Resort, Montgomery County’s lone nudist resort, are gearing up for the annual celebration of au naturel fun as National Nude Recreation Week — celebrated this year from July 7 to July 14 — begins Sunday.

But despite a growing membership and increased interest in the lifestyle, the resort faces an uncertain future due to a yet-to-be-determined development on the property adjacent to the resort.

Located off Loop 494 in Porter near U.S. 59, Emerald Lake has a long history in the Houston region as the only designated and officially recognized place for the thousands of Southeast Texas nudists to visit sans clothes. The resort, which has been owned by several different people and entities since the 1980s, sits on the former site of a gravel pit that was mined decades ago during construction of U.S. 59. The gravel pit, which filled with natural spring water after it was closed, is the center piece of the sprawling resort that features offices, two bars, a swimming pool, small beach and space for dozens of campers.

Jonathan Gockel, the resort’s on-site resident manager, said the resort will be hosting events throughout the celebratory week of July 7-14, capped off by participation in the nationwide World Skinnydipping record attempt, scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, July 13.

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“We try to be involved with as many of these events as possible to bring awareness,” Gockel said of the event, which is part of the resort’s partnership with the American Association for Nude Recreation.

Activities and preparation for National Nude Recreation Week began in early June when the resort hosted an “Olympics-style” game day involving pool volleyball, cornhole and other activities. Campers and other RVs with license plates from New York, Missouri and other states dotted the wooded resort as members of all ages frolicked sans clothes and cheered on participants in the cornhole contest.

“This is the kick-off for it and it’ll keep progressing through National Nude Recreation Week,” Gockel said in June.

National Nude Recreation Week Sponsored by the American Association for Nude Recreation, the week-long celebration of au natural fun and educational advocacy will be hosted from July 7-14 at resorts and other locations across the nation. Officials at Emerald Lake are hosting anyone who is interested in attempting to set the world record for the largest skinnydipping event in history on July 13. Emerald Lake Resort is located at 23198 Loop 494, Porter. Email: elnr494@gmail.com for more information or visit the resorts website: emeraldlakeresorthouston.com.

Resort sees more members, diversity

Gockel, who has lived at the resort since 2014 with his husband, said Emerald Lake has anywhere between 32 and 36 full-time residents who are supplemented on weekends by non-resident members, day-use visitors and travelers who come from as far away as Canada, Montana and other northern areas. The average attendance on a nice, sunny summer day ranges from 50 to 100 guests in total.

“We have people come from Louisiana, from all over Texas, California…they come from all over,” Gockel said. “Whenever it is nice out, they all enjoy the lake — swimming, paddle boating, the pool, volleyball or chatting. People take exercise hikes around the lake, too.”

Emerald Lake is affiliated with the two leading nudist organizations in the United States — the American Association for Nude Recreation, headquartered in Florida, and the Naturist Society, located in Wisconsin. The AANR has been in existence for decades, an offshoot of the 1920s and 1930s nudist movement that originated in the Mid-Atlantic area of the East Coast as European immigrants sought to recreate a lifestyle that originated in Germany.

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Today, the two organizations lead the charge for the acceptance of non-sexual nudism, Gockel explained, by setting standards of conduct and recognizing affiliated resorts, groups and other venues that fit the criteria for membership. Emerald Lake, like all other member resorts, adheres to and enforces strict rules about conduct, banning any actions of a sexual nature, Gockel added.

“People (discover the resort) through our Facebook page and they become interested,” Gockel said. “People are starting to catch on that it is not sexual in any manner. Everybody has the same (body) parts, they’re just a little different for each of us.”

One element of the resort that is changing, Gockel noted, is the demographics of who visits and becomes members. Nudism across the United States has seen an aging population as the millenial generation has not discovered the lifestyle and is often uncomfortable with nudity. However, at Emerald Lake, more younger members as well as those identifying as LGBTQ are starting to visit more regularly, he added.

“Our demographics are changing. It is anywhere from 20 year olds and up. We used to have a lot of older folks, but now we’re seeing younger people more often,” Gockel said. “People see us on Facebook and come out. They get the nerves, but once they come out, they get used to it. A lot of people are really nervous and we try to make them feel welcome.”

One regular member to the resort is Rachel Keely, a licensed massage therapist and sociologist. Keely said she has been visiting Emerald Lake for about five years and often visits the resort after her Sunday church services end. Keely, a mother of two teenagers, said she on occasion brings her children with her and has practiced “home nudism” for most of her life.

“I’m a ‘naked person’ by nature. I’ve always been a ‘naked person.’ My grandparents had a pond and we had skinnydipped my whole life,” Keely said. “I feel more comfortable without clothes on than with clothes on. I’ve never felt uncomfortable out here even though I am a single lady. I come out here about three to four times per week — often on a Sunday after church and I read, unplug and lay in the pool.”

New development creates uncertainty

Emerald Lake is unusual in the world of nudist resorts in the sense that the several dozen acre property is not secluded or located in a far-flung rural area like many resorts — an effort to escape prying eyes and scoldful locals who may not approve of the alternative lifestyle.

The central location of the resort, which borders several businesses, allows for easy access for members in Houston and travelers arriving at George Bush Intercontinental airport, however the area is in the crosshairs of development as plans for the expansion of the Grand Parkway are unfolding a mere 2 miles north of the resort and a new, unknown development is starting a few feet from the edge of the resort.

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Carl Mattaliano, a North Houston real estate developer, owns the land immediately north of the resort. The more than 40 acre tract of land Mattaliano bought in November 2017, was cleared a few months ago of the dense, lush forest that had offered a semblance of privacy for resort members. Now, construction workers — and whatever development is built on the land — has a clear, uninhibited view of the activities at the resort.

Mattaliano said he has not decided what type of development will be built on the land, saying only that he is in negotiations with several possible partners to bring possibly an apartment complex, health care facility or other offices to the 42 acres. With a possibility of a three-story or more structure being put on the land, he said he is not concerned about the resort nor its future.

“What we do with our property is our business. We are negotiating a contract now…we are developing it and it has been cleared (of trees) for future buyers,” Mattaliano said in a telephone interview. “I believe the community would rather see a high-value development than expanding a nudist colony. I don’t know what their future could be. If they lose members, that’s not my problem.”

Gockel said he and the resort’s management and owner are aware of the pending development next door and that the clearing of the trees north of the resort has caused some concern amongst members, but not changed business significantly yet. Gockel also said the resort’s ownership group had no official comment on the development.

“The people that come out now are used to the area being ‘bare’ now,” Gockel said of the tree clearing. “It has been that way for some time. I do not see (the development) progessing quickly. We lost a few members when they cut the trees. But, we gained more than we lost.”

jeff.forward@chron.com