ABSTRACT
Most lakes, rivers, and coastal areas do not get the publicity, or the scientific attention, that characterizes the better-known systems. Likewise, the cumulative impacts of complex combinations of human activities are rarely determined with adequate scientific information. Without such data, there is little chance that anything approaching full restoration can be achieved. This factor, the scientific approach to restoration, has not been lost on development interests and their counterparts in the news media. The complicated interplay of scientific research, economic/political interests, and the role of the news media in environmental matters remains undermined despite the fact that these forces direct the fate of most aquatic systems in the United States.
