HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. -- A Happy Valley man who prefers to do his gardening in the nude could be breaking the law the next time he decides to takes it all off outside his home.

The Happy Valley City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday evening that could make public nudity a crime.

The proposed law would actually prohibit unlawful exposure within the city of Happy Valley in all public places and places visible to the public.

The council will meet again on October 16th to hear a second reading of the proposal. If it passes again, being in the buff in public will be a crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

The gardener at the center of this debate, 56-year-old Steven Howatt, told KGW Tuesday that the activity is spiritual, not sexual, and helps him feel more in tune with nature.

“I worship God and he gives us these bodies to interface with creation. It’s worshipful to me,“ Howatt said.

He prefers the term "naturist" to "nudist."

"A lot of nudists only like going to resorts. I love nature because I like playing Adam,” Howatt said. "I can’t tell you all the reasons why it thrills my soul to be a naturist.”

One of those reasons, he explained, is feeling the wind against his skin. Howatt began gardening in the buff last summer and responds to criticism by explaining that nudity is not necessarily sexual; it depends on the context.

“A lot of people, because the only time they are nude is when they are acting sexually, reinforce that image themselves,” he said.

The city said over the past two years, they’ve gotten some complaints about Howatt working naked on his property, and planned to address the issue at a meeting Tuesday.

However, their arguments against public nudity on private property may not have a stitch of legal standing -- there’s no such law against it in the Oregon Constitution.

Howatt said in an email Monday that he opposed talk of any new city ordinance that would ban such activity.

"That would not be an appropriate use of law, I think, and I respect the council of Happy Halley enough to be confident that they would be aware of that," he said.

Community Services Director Steve Campbell said there was a draft resolution for a city ordinance barring "annoyance for a reasonable person" -- activities that would annoy or alarm someone under 13 years old.

Campbell added that no neighbors ever complained of lewd activity by Howatt.

"He's a decent guy, seems very educated to what the law and his rights are," Campbell said of Howatt.

Howatt added that no one had ever complained to him in person.

“It hurts me that they chatted among themselves but never approached me about a discussion,” he said.

Howatt did not attend the meeting. He said he trusted the council would agree on an ordinance that would benefit the whole community and not target one person.