"AP-Richmond - Activities for children this summer at Camp White Tail: swimming, volleyball, arts and crafts, splattering a fellow camper's nude body with pudding.

White Tail, a nudist park in southeatern Virginia's Southampton County, opens its first summer camp for the 11-to-18 age group today - only the third such au naturel camp for juveniles in the nation, according to the American Association of Nude Recreation.

Bob Roche, who manages the camp on 45 bucolic acres, said the weeklong get-together [AANR East Youth Leadership Camp - White Tail Park, Virginia. June 21-28, 2003 - Academy ; June 22-28, 2003 Juniors] is no big deal for the 30 children who signed up, most of whom were raised in nudist families.

State and local officials, however, are alarmed by a summer camp intended to bring unclothed teens together for a week.

'We're very concerned about this development. An atmosphere like that is very clearly an invitation to pedophiles,' said Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore's press secretary, Tim Murtaugh.

Del. Robert G. Marshall, one of the state legislature's foremost social conservatives, said such a camp was better suited for San Francisco that strait-laced Virginia.

'I guess these nudists were just born that way, but unlike the rest of us, they never grew out of it,' Marshall said.

Roche said such concerns are unfounded at Camp White Tail, which has operated legally and without incident since it opened in 1984.

It attracts an average of 1,200 people at any given time, including 30 families who live there year-round. All must undergo background checks, and the camp enforces strick rules against lustful behavior.

Proud to be American We support our troops * * * * * "You and your family are invited to experience the joys of clothes free recreation at White Tail Park. Located in beautiful Southampton County Virginia, White Tail offers a wide variety of activities and facilities for all ages. Situated on 45 peaceful acres, White Tail Park is about 50 minutes from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Richmond, and Colonial Williamsburg. Our beautiful natural surroundings provide a quiet getaway from the stresses of everyday life, unequaled anywhere else. We provide an environment where our members and visitors enjoy the clothes free experience in a comfortable, friendly and private setting. Visitors often describe the atmosphere at White Tail as being "one big family." " (White Tail Park Web site, June 22, 2003)

'Sure, it could be a magnet for pedophiles, but we don't let it be. We screen everyone thoroughly and, thanks to the governor, we can check online to see if someone's a sex offender,' he said.

A searchable database of sex criminals is available through the Virginia State Police Web site.

Nor are special youth activities novel at White Tail, Roche said. Each summer features 'Junior Fest' weekends chock full of activities for the children of the camp's regulars.

The summer youth camp, however, is different in that parents don't have to be present. Roche likened it to summertime retreats that churches run for boys and girls.

'This is actually a camp-type camp,' he said. 'All the meals are inclusive; the camp is totally structured with arts and crafts for the younger ones, with swimming lessons and firefighting lessons.'

There are also activities uniquely suited to nakedness such as pudding toss.

'We give each camper a cup of pudding and a spoon and just let them plaster each other,' Roche said. With nothing to launder, cleanup is as simple as a quick blast with a garden hose.

Also unusually, counselors outnumber children. They range in age from 19 to 25, and all have been thoroughly trained.

'There's 1 1/2 counselors for each camper,' Roche said.

The camp is modeled after the AANR's Youth Leadership Camp, which as operated for 11 years near Tampa, Fla., said Caroly Hawkins, spokeswoman for the Kissimmee, Fla.-based organization. The other youth nudist camp is in Arizona.

AANR expects the Virginia camp will attract children from Georgia, the Carolinas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Hawkins' 22-year-old grandson, Steven Vickers, has been a camp counselor for years. Vickers, a student at Valencia Community College, said first-time campers are uptight about their nakedness for about a day, then easily shed their self-consciousness.

'They realize there are other people like they are, and they find it comforting. They see that other kids are going through puberty, too,' he said.

For children, peer pressure discourages sexual conduct.

'Most of these kids have grown up together and they're more like family than friends. So it would be like going to a family reunion and hitting on someone. It's just not the thing to do,' Vickers said.

There's nothing illegal about gathering in the buff on private property, even for children, as long as being nude doesn't mean being lewd.

'To be illegal, the line that has to be crossed is lascivious intent,' Murtaugh said. 'Rest assured that law enforcement will be very aware and vigilant about this" (The Daily Progress, June 21, 2003).