Increasing Involvement in and Awareness of Coastal Zone Management in New Jersey

A discussion paper prepared as part of a series of focus groups on the topic of the Increasing Involvement in and Awareness of Coastal Zone Management in New Jersey. Among the requirements of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) for state coastal management programs are procedures for public participation and intergovernmental coordination in program development and implementation. The CZMA was one of a number of environmental statutes passed by Congress in the early 1970s that made public participation a cornerstone of the program. Most government programs have since adopted this philosophy, and experience over the past several decades confirms the value of an engaged and educated constituency