1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



resources system, and considering the means of achieving long-term conservation of barrier 

 resources. 



Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) . 16 U.S.C. §§ 1451 et seq. 



The CZMA encourages states to develop coastal zone management programs that allow for 

 growth and development that is compatible with the protection of natural resources. The CZMA 

 provides financial and technical incentives for states to manage their coastal zones consistent 

 with CZMA standards and goals. 



The CZMA mentions in several places concepts related to recreation and tourism. For example, 

 the congressional findings cite recreational and esthetic resources as being of value to the present 

 and future well-being of the nation. The findings note that increasing and competing demands 

 upon lands and waters of the coastal zone, including requirements for recreation, have resulted in 

 the loss of important cultural, historic, and esthetic values in the coastal zone, which are essential 

 to the well-being of all citizens. Further, the findings state, new and expanding demands for 

 recreation activities in coastal and ocean waters are placing stress on these areas and are creating 

 the need for resolution of serious conflicts among important and competing uses and values in 

 these waters. 



Management programs under the CZMA are required to include, among other things, certain 

 elements related to recreational concerns, including planning processes for the protection of, and 

 access to, public beaches and other public coastal areas of environmental, recreational, historical, 

 esthetic, ecological, or cultural value, as well as procedures whereby specific areas may be 

 designated for the purpose of preserving or restoring them for their conservation, recreational, 

 ecological, historical or esthetic values. 



The CZMA also allows the Secretary to make grants to coastal states to meet objectives 

 including preservation or restoration of areas notable for their conservation, recreational, 

 ecological, or esthetic values, and the provision of public access to beaches and other public 

 coastal areas. 



The CZMA also includes the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), which 

 consists of a network of representative estuarine ecosystems suitable for long-term research. In 

 order to be designated as part of the NERRS, a reserve must serve to enhance public awareness 

 and understanding of estuarine areas and provide suitable opportunities for public education and 

 interpretation. 



Federal Water Pollution Control Act , as amended, also called the Clean Water Act , as 



amended (CWA), 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seg. 



The CWA establishes the basic scheme for restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and 



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