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But
are we killing the goose that lays the golden egg? Tourists expect
to find a clean, safe and attractive environment in which to spend
their time and money. Impaired water quality for swimming, eroded,
and degraded beaches can severely limit the recreational opportunities
and discourage further visitation. The Healthy Beaches Campaign has been established to promote conservation of our coastal resources and comply with standards of cleanliness, safety and environmentally sound practices. Beaches that agree to meet these criteria and monitor their beaches according to EPA standards are certified by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman and his team of scientists at the Laboratory for Coastal Research. No beach is perfect, but many beaches qualify for our program. The Healthy Beaches Campaign is a non-profit project of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University (FIU), the public university at Miami, Florida. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Director and Professor, is recognized as one of the nation's foremost authorities on beach quality and ratings. The public and media have come to depend upon Dr. Leatherman for objective and reliable information on beaches. Known throughout the United States as "Dr. Beach," he has gained international renown for his list of Top 10 Beaches in America, which are released annually on Memorial Day weekend. Dr. Leatherman discusses the award-winning beaches on the NBC Today Show, ABC Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, CNN TV and Fox News. He has also made appearances on the Travel News Update, Oprah Winfrey, Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, and American Journal. Dr. Leatherman has authored 15 books, including "America's Best Beaches," and over 200 journal articles and reports. Members of The Healthy Beaches Campaign must first have overall good ratings on Dr. Leatherman's survey of fifty criteria. In addition, they have agreed to follow the Healthy Beach Guidelines. A Healthy Beach monitors water quality on a regular basis according to EPA standards and warns the public promptly if health or safety hazards exist. A Healthy Beach is concerned about the environment and protects wildlife, preserves nature, controls litter, and prevents pollution. Welcome to the Healthy Beaches Campaign! Feel free to browse our site and support our beaches in their efforts to maintain their quality.
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©
2001 DrBeach.Org. All rights reserved.
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Coastal
recreation is the largest and most rapidly growing industry in
the world. In the United States alone, travel and tourism expenditures
exceeded $800 billion this past year. While the most famous tourist
destinations are inland parks (e.g., Yellowstone and the Grand
Canyon), 90% of all tourist spending is in coastal states with
the beach being the prime destination. To accommodate the increasing
number of people recreating on the shore, coastal development
has greatly expanded in the past few decades. 