Alternatively, we are members of a generation which generally questions the authority of its institutions while expecting those institutions to solve its problems, especially in the wake of natural disasters. We were raised on television. We are products of post-Watergate America, and understand the cynicism felt by many of our compatriots. Our country is more diverse now than it was when we were born, and we are more likely to live and work in a diverse environment than previous generations. Those of us who see a future in coastal management need to better articulate where coastal management should be going.
Coastal management is a young discipline.
Many of the originators are still active in the field either as practitioners or academics. However, while the overall goals of the field and the Coastal Zone Management Act are still valid, so much has changed in the US in the past 25 years that the means to achieve the goals must be adapted. It is up to us to ensure our discipline adapts to the current social and physical realities in the country's coastal areas and anticipates future trends. For example, California will soon become the first state not to have any ethnic group as a majority. In addition, the country is becoming more geographically diverse.