Who's Minding the Shore? A Citizen's Guide to Coastal Management

This handbook is designed to help show you how to participate in your state's planning effort. Chapter 2 describes the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and what it requires the states to do. Chapter 3 is a catalog of what people can do to become actively involved in the formulation of their state's program. Chapter 4 considers the requirements an effective management program must meet. Chapter 5 outlines the natural forces at work in coastal ecosystems and the areas which are vital to the preservation of these ecosystems. Chapter 6 describes the various recreational, commercial, and industrial activities which compete for use of the coastal zone, and some of the considerations which should be taken into account for their proper management. Chapter 7 takes two of the most acute development pressures in the coastal zone - offshore oil production and residential subdivisions - and points out the problems and special considerations they pose for the design of the management program. Chapter 8 is devoted to an analysis of the rights of public and private owners of property in the coastal zone and the extent of state authority to regulate their use of property in the management program.