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cant differences from region to region. Pollution is a problem in most 
of the coastal zones but the pollutants and their sources are frequently 
different from area to area. 
The ecology of the gulf coast, the Gulf of Maine, the Chesapeake 
Bay, and Lake Michigan and Lake Erie are widely different and solu- 
tions to the ecological problems must also be quite different. These 
and the many other regional differences require that the problems 
be studied and solved region by region. 
The contribution that can be made by coastal laboratories that focus 
on these regional needs should be of assistance in assuring the wise 
use of our coastal zone. Such laboratories should be able to draw 
upon resources from industry and universities as well as State and 
Federal Government laboratories. 
In most cases we do not believe that the establishment of wholly 
new laboratories is required. In almost every region there are some 
efforts under Federal, State, or other auspices separately studying 
wildlife, natural resources, pollution, industrial development, and a 
host of other problems. 
Laboratories focused on coastal problems should attempt to draw 
upon these existing facilities and augment them as necessary so that 
the problem may be studied not just from its specific disciplinary sub- 
divisions but with all of its complexities considered together. The 
solutions to certain specific problems must avoid creating new 
problems. : 
It is our hope that, by coordinating the activities of existing facil- 
ities and augmenting them, a pool of talent will be created to enable 
us to anticipate and assess the effects of new developments before we 
encounter the problems that may accompany changes. 
Our attention has been drawn repeatedly to the deterioration of 
the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, we do not now possess all the answers 
we need to enable us to solve all the problems of the Great Lakes. 
‘There are, however, many presently existing problems for which we 
do know what needs to be done. 
The Government will continue to work with State and local gov- 
ernments to reduce water pollution. We need to test existing knowl- 
edge and technology in a demonstration program. This might include 
an intensive program on a lake of manageable size. By choosing a 
particular lake we can isolate the problem and conduct in a sense a 
controlled experiment on it. This would provide a test and an illus- 
tration of how far we are able to go with cleanup activities now, as 
well as to learn new solutions to problems as yet unsolved. 
We think this program will be a real step forward in the under- 
standing of the Great Lakes pollution problems as well as to indicate 
the new directions research should take. Some of the techniques 
learned in demonstration projects should also apply to many thou- 
sands of other lakes in our country. 
These initial priority points that I have mentioned deal with the 
coastal zone primarily because the coastal zone an the oceans and our 
lake problems are closely related. 
Coming now to the problems which deal with the oceans more spe- 
cifically, the International Decade of Ocean Exploration was proposed 
by the United States and welcomed by the United Nations General 
Assembly as a part of a long-term program of ocean exploration. 
