As South Carolinians enjoy our beautiful beaches this summer vacation season, the traffic and avoiding a painful sunburn may be their most serious coastal concerns. A day at the beach or a walk on the shore has the miraculous ability to take us away from workday and everyday troubles, giving us an opportunity to connect with family, fond memories and the ocean’s more leisurely rhythms.

It is important that we don’t take these simple pleasures of our coast for granted. The powerful lure of the beach as a place to live, work and play includes challenges for the environment and the quality of life in and along the coast.

Vacationers are flocking to our shores in record numbers, and people are moving to the coastal communities at a rate never seen before. A recent government report predicts the coastal population will grow by 12 million by 2015 — and in the Southeast by 1.1 million people by 2008. This growth creates development pressures on our already-stressed coastal communities and resources. This means everyone, vacationer or resident, is challenged to find the best way to balance, conserve and restore this precious resource before it is too late.

Since 1977, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management has developed and funded many successful initiatives to make sure that South Carolina’s coasts are healthy and that coastal communities are well-planned. Recently, we completed the Council on Coastal Futures report, which outlines 18 recommendations for ensuring high quality of life, environmental stewardship and sustainable economic growth. These recommendations will guide our efforts as we work to promote low-impact development, to improve water quality and to ensure public access to our coastal resources.

The DHEC coastal management program is an example of just how much government can do to protect our natural resources when given the authority and means to do so, but it would not be possible without the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act, championed by Sen. Fritz Hollings and passed by Congress in 1972.

The program, up for reauthorization by Congress this year, is designed to support and promote thriving, voluntary partnerships from local communities to the state and federal levels. It is a cornerstone that supports responsible economic development while keeping a careful eye on conservation of the coastal environment.

President Bush has recognized the critical nature of the issue and taken important steps by releasing the U.S. Ocean Action Plan and committing federal agencies to a renewed agenda supporting the nation’s coasts. This is the president’s initial response to the final report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the first congressionally mandated review of national ocean policy in more than 35 years. The commission’s report set an ambitious call to action and a vision for the future.

We hope that the president and Congress take the next step necessary to carry out this bold blueprint for action by reauthorizing the Coastal Zone Management Act. This will allow DHEC to keep working to ensure South Carolina’s coastline is healthy and its communities are thriving. Without national leadership and a serious commitment, though, the president’s action may soon be a ship adrift at sea.

The oceans, the Great Lakes and the coasts are priceless assets, indispensable to the economy and to life itself. By rising to the challenge, South Carolina and the rest of the country can better protect our coasts, create jobs, increase state and federal revenues, enhance security, expand trade and ensure ample supplies of energy, minerals, food and potentially life-saving drugs.

So, this summer, while staring at the seemingly endless line of bumpers on your way to the beach or leisurely lounging with your toes in sand, vow to consider the power and enormous value of our coasts and what it might be like if we couldn’t go there and enjoy the benefits the way we do. It will make the trip go faster and make the beach more enjoyable and might make a big difference for future generations.

Pass the suntan lotion.

Ms. Hernandez is director of program and policy development at the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. For more information, visit www.scdhec.gov/ocrm.