Public Access to Beaches in America

In the United States today there exists a growing, mobile population who wish to make use of what is considered to be a diminishing natural resource, the shoreline beaches. The public is denied access to the sea and the enjoyment of shore by the littoral land owner who occupies the beach area to the exclusion of all others. It appears that the rights of the public will have to be expanded to insure adequate space and facilities for recreation. This expansion will encroach on private rights as the population seeks access to beach areas that have assumed a public character. When the situation arises, the courts will have to determine where and if the public has a legitimate right to the enjoyment of the shoreline resources