Forty years ago no one was concerned about the health of the ocean, in spite of the fact that many fisheries were being over-harvested, toxic wastes were being dumped in the sea, and developers were beginning to seriously disrupt coastlines. In those days, the magnitude of the problems was small, even though it was obvious that if the trends Continued people would face severe economic and personal hardship in the future. People just didn't understand, nor did they care. Unfortunately many of our concerns were realized, but the situation could have been much worse, had we, and others, not taken action to inform. people about the ocean and the need to protect it. During our campaign to share the wonders of the sea and alert the public about the need to protect it, we have used every medium available--personal appearances, the printed word, and television. Now there is a new medium that is even more effective than its predecessors. Thanks to the Internet and computers, people can not only receive linear stories, but they can actually participate in them, exploring and learning at their own pace and as their curiosity dictates. I am tremendously impressed with the personalization of what had been labeled by skeptics as the most impersonal medium yet developed. For these reasons I have made a major commitment of time and resources to dive into this sea of electronic marvels. I'm swimming hard to keep up, but when I look around I find I'm not alone. We are all learning together and it is an adventure I am finding immensely rewarding. I have been encouraged by our first modest dunking in this new world: Cities under the Sea--Coral Reefs. A couple of months ago I was in Fiji to celebrate the 1997 International Year of the Reef and presented our Cities under the Sea CD-ROM to a group of children. I was impressed to see how quickly they grasped our concepts and how they directed their own learning process, thanks to the flexibility of the medium. It was particularly exciting to see kids squeal with delight as they responded to questions and the computer rewarded there when they got the correct answers. I want young people to experience the mystery and wonder of our oceans. I want them to understand how precious and vulnerable our environment is. Young people need to be taught to take responsibility for ensuring that their heritage will be protected and used wisely. Hopefully the next generation will do a better job than mine has. I believe individuals must be personally involved and I am counting on the Internet to be the medium through which people can experience, learn, and take action. I am counting on young people with their idealism and energy to create a better future--it is too important to be left to bureaucrats and politicians. Forty years ago people were indifferent to the health of the ocean because ______.