100 signatures reached
To: Minka Sendich, Acting Superintendent, Gateway National Recreation Area
Restore Full Beach Access at Gunnison: Install MOBI Mats All the Way to the Waterline
.png)
Gunnison Beach (Beach G) at Sandy Hook (Gateway National Recreation Area NJ) is a rare and very popular clothing-optional beach operated under NPS since the 1980s at least. Thousands flock there every summer to enjoy the freeing, wholesome, naturist experience of the sun and water on our skin.
The accessibility barrier stems from the National Park Service (NPS) refusing to install MOBI mats on the sand to the water line as they did in past years. The trek from parking lot to water line is nearly half-mile (.46 miles), difficult for most people to walk on hot sand carrying umbrellas, chairs, coolers, towels, personal effects. Many people struggle with this, stopping several times to recover enough to continue.
The NPS in June installed about 30% of the mats. After that, people must walk at least a quarter mile on the hot sand, under a hot sun, carrying their stuff or dragging a cart. Many people have complained to NPS leadership and elected officials, with no response to my knowledge.
My partner and I are both 67 years old. He's had 3 knee surgeries, 2 fused vertebrae, and has diabetes neuropathy, and fibromyalgia. I have lower back pain and, even using a beach cart, the walk is tortuous. Discriminating against people who wish to use this beach but can't because of an arbitrary NPS decision not to put down all the mats is wrong. There is no other clothing-optional beach like Gunnison in the northeast and people who have physical issues have a right to use it like anybody else.
The mats sit in a storage area unused. If necessary, we can easily organize a group of volunteers to help install them, under NPS direction, if that is what it takes.
We may be older and have some physical limitations, but we spend money at Sandy Hook and in the surrounding area. We support our local communities and we vote. We deserve to have full use of all the mats to make our visits to Gunnison easy and enjoyable. Please help us get all the mats down all the way to the waterline.
The accessibility barrier stems from the National Park Service (NPS) refusing to install MOBI mats on the sand to the water line as they did in past years. The trek from parking lot to water line is nearly half-mile (.46 miles), difficult for most people to walk on hot sand carrying umbrellas, chairs, coolers, towels, personal effects. Many people struggle with this, stopping several times to recover enough to continue.
The NPS in June installed about 30% of the mats. After that, people must walk at least a quarter mile on the hot sand, under a hot sun, carrying their stuff or dragging a cart. Many people have complained to NPS leadership and elected officials, with no response to my knowledge.
My partner and I are both 67 years old. He's had 3 knee surgeries, 2 fused vertebrae, and has diabetes neuropathy, and fibromyalgia. I have lower back pain and, even using a beach cart, the walk is tortuous. Discriminating against people who wish to use this beach but can't because of an arbitrary NPS decision not to put down all the mats is wrong. There is no other clothing-optional beach like Gunnison in the northeast and people who have physical issues have a right to use it like anybody else.
The mats sit in a storage area unused. If necessary, we can easily organize a group of volunteers to help install them, under NPS direction, if that is what it takes.
We may be older and have some physical limitations, but we spend money at Sandy Hook and in the surrounding area. We support our local communities and we vote. We deserve to have full use of all the mats to make our visits to Gunnison easy and enjoyable. Please help us get all the mats down all the way to the waterline.
Why is this important?
Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook should be accessible to everyone—not only to visitors who are young, strong, and physically able to walk nearly half a mile across hot, loose sand while carrying everything needed for a day at the beach.
The walk from the parking lot to the waterline is approximately .46 miles. Visitors must carry or pull umbrellas, chairs, coolers, towels, food, water, and personal belongings, in direct sun and extreme heat. For many people, this trek is exhausting. For older adults, people with disabilities, chronic pain, injuries, mobility limitations, or other health conditions, it can be difficult or impossible.
In past years, the National Park Service installed MOBI mats from the parking area to the waterline. This year, only about 30 percent of the mats were installed. After the mats end, visitors still must cross at least a quarter mile of deep, hot sand. Many people are forced to stop repeatedly to rest. Others cannot make the trip at all.
This is not simply an inconvenience. It is an accessibility barrier.
The equipment already exists, sitting unused in storage. If staffing or installation assistance is the issue, the Gunnison community is prepared to organize volunteers to help install the mats under National Park Service direction and supervision.
Gunnison Beach is a unique public resource. It is the only clothing-optional beach of its kind in the Northeast, and it serves a diverse community of visitors. People with physical limitations have the same right as anyone else to enjoy this beach safely, comfortably, and with dignity.
Older adults and people with disabilities visit Sandy Hook, support nearby businesses, contribute to local communities, and vote. They should not be excluded from full access to a public beach because an available accessibility resource is left unused.
We are asking the National Park Service to:
- Install all available MOBI mats to the waterline at Gunnison Beach as soon as possible
- Restore the level of accessibility provided in previous years.
- Work with the Gunnison community to identify safe volunteer support if staffing or logistics are preventing full installation.
Sign this petition to tell the National Park Service: Full access to Gunnison Beach should not end a quarter mile short of the water.