CHAPTER 5. VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 

 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS ON ROLES IN THE 

 ESTUARINE ZONE 



Section 1. Introduction 



The Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966, in establishing the Na- 

 tional Estuarine Pollution Study, directed that the study be conducted 

 in cooperation with various Federal, State, and interstate bodies, and, 

 in addition, with "* * * local public bodies and private organizations 

 institutions, and individuals * * *," and that "recommendations 

 [shall be made] for a comprehensive national program for the pre- 

 servation, study, use, and development of estuaries of the Nation, and 

 the respective responsibilities which should be assumed by Federal, 

 State, and local governments and by public and private interests." 



Much was done through appointed representatives and many brief- 

 ings, consultations, and exchanges of correspondence. But, to meet the 

 requirement of bringing the study to the local level and to private 

 individuals, and generally to reach all those who were not being 

 reached by other means, it was decided to hold a series of public 

 meetings — at least one in each coastal State — to obtain the views of all 

 those concerned about the condition of the estuaries. 



The decision was a fortunate one, in that the meetings proved to 

 be an excellent vehicle for obtaining a comprehensive cross section of 

 public opinion regarding the needs of and dangers to the estuarine 

 zone. Attendance at the 30 meetings was good — not only in terms of 

 number, but also in variety of organizations and individuals repre- 

 sented. Many statements, both oral and written, were made. Complete 

 transcripts of each meeting were prepared, and, a a result, it is possible 

 to extract from them a reasonably accurate report of the major con- 

 cerns of those in attendance. 



An additional important result of these meetings has been increased 

 public awareness of the values and problems of the estuaries, because 

 of the publicity given them. This has already resulted in favorable 

 action at both State and local level to further the protection of the 

 estuarine zone. 



The public meeting proved to be an invaluable mechanism for ob- 

 taining statements of concern and recommendation from those groups 

 and individuals who are usually left without a voice in studies of this 

 kind. It was hoped that a variety of presentations would be made, 

 and the success of the public meetings in this regard was far beyond 

 anyone's expectations. 



Because the public meetings were most important in bringing the 

 studj^ to the attention of individuals and to private organizations, the 

 remainder of this chapter is devoted to an alalysis of these meetings 

 and the conclusions to be reached from such analysis. 



(437) 



