North Carolina State Library 



Raleigh ft m c. 



Doc 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 



NEWSLETTER 



JULY, 1974 



Coastal Management: 



Planning today 

 for tomorrow's 

 resource needs 



When it comes to the future of their state's coast, 

 North Carolinians are at a crossroads. 



Luckily, they have time to choose whether they 

 will follow a road leading to beach areas that are 

 free of clutter and rich in resources, or whether 

 they will travel the route to certain destruction of 

 coastal resources. 



It's true that two-thirds of the state's shellfish- 

 ing waters have been closed because of pollution. 

 And much valuable marsh has been gobbled up by 

 man's hunger for land. 



But North Carolina's beach areas are still good 

 places to live and vacation. Compared with other 

 states, waters are relatively unpolluted. And clean, 

 quiet beaches and good fishing aren't out of the 

 ordinary. 



This Spring, in steps that could help prevent the 

 destruction of our limited resources, the N. C. 

 General Assembly passed a law designed to encour- 

 age North Carolinians to plan for the use and con- 

 servation of coastal resources. Although the law, 

 the Coastal Area Management Act, represents a 

 new direction in coastal Carolina, no one can be 

 sure just how effective it will be until it is in action. 



The coastal bill remains a source of confusion to 

 many citizens. Some believe the new law spells an 

 end to growth for North Carolina's beach areas. 

 Some see it as an attempt by government "to tell 

 us what to do with our land." And others see the 

 act as a direct threat to their rights as private 

 property owners. 



Just what does the coastal management act seek 

 to do? 



According to Dr. Thomas J. Schoenbaum, Uni- 

 versity of North Carolina associate professor of 

 law, the law does not intend to stop growth. A clear 



1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Tel. (919) 737-', 



Hang gliding at Jockey's Ridge. Land manage- 

 ment aims at protecting unique coastal features 

 such as this large sand dune from unwise develop- 

 ment. 



policy of the act is to provide for orderly develop- 

 ment of transportation, housing, industrial, com- 

 mercial and recreational facilities, he notes in an 

 article that will appear in the Fall, 1974 North 

 Carolina Law Review. 



While the bill calls for continuing development, 

 it also sets a clear policy for preserving and man- 

 aging the natural environment, Schoenbaum says, 

 pointing out that a comprehensive management 

 plan is the key to resolving the conflict between 

 development and conservation. 



Schoenbaum, a Sea Grant researcher and a 

 primary author of the coastal bill, explains that the 

 act divides coastal lands and waters into two broad 

 (See "Planning," page 3) 



