1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



to annual erosion rates and, thus, to require the greatest setbacks from the high tidemark in those 

 areas having the largest erosion rates. Facilities siting policies also help ensure that new tourism 

 construction is not located in hazardous areas from the standpoint of coastal storm damage and 

 flooding. 



Improvement of Public Access to the Shoreline 



A strong emphasis in the federal Coastal Zone Management Act relates to the importance 

 of ensuring adequate public access to the nation's shorelines for recreational pursuits. All 31 

 state programs are actively pursuing this goal. Recognizing the limitations of simply planning for 

 access, Congress added section 306A to the CZMA in 1980 to allow states to acquire land and 

 fund low cost construction projects to provide public access ways to the beach and coastal waters 

 (Cunningham and Walker, 1 996). 



Since 1980, for example, the California Coastal Program has acquired over 2.300 public 

 access ways along the coast while the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development 

 Commission has increased public access around the perimeter of San Francisco Bay from 4 miles 

 in 1977 to more than 96 miles in 1990 (Cunningham and Walker, 1996). Under the CZM 

 program, states and localities use grant funding and regulatory tools to secure improved public 

 access for recreational purposes. 



Protection of Coastal Habitats 



The existence of healthy coastal habitats (wetlands, beaches and dunes, sea grass beds, 

 mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries) is important to coastal recreation and tourism. State CZM 

 programs represent one of the important management avenues in obtaining this protection. 

 Within specified coastal zone boundaries, states and/or their local governments regulate activities 

 which could adversely impact these habitats. Other federal programs, such as those under the 

 Clean Water Act's Section 404 (dredge and fill program) and Section 320 (National Estuary 

 Program), the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (which controls ocean dumping), 

 the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, the National Seashore Program, the Endangered Species Act, 

 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, also serve to protect coastal habitats. Furthermore, a 

 national system of estuarine research reserves aimed at providing a representative system of 

 natural field laboratories for management-related research and monitoring also exists as an 

 adjunct to the national CZM program. 



Management of Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems 



Clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems are essential to the maintenance of coastal 

 tourism and recreation. Foreign tourists and the recreating domestic public stop going to areas 

 where the waters are polluted, beaches are closed, or fish are tainted. For example, it is reported 

 that the State of New Jersey lost $800 million in tourism revenues following reports that medical 

 wastes had washed up on some of its beaches (Bookman, 1997). According to EPA estimates, 

 coastal and marine waters support 28.3 million jobs, generate $54 billion in goods and services. 



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