CRC’s Jennifer McCann Wins 2017 Benchley Award as Ocean SAMP Team Member

Jen_OceanSAMPJennifer McCann, Director of CRC’s U.S. Coastal Programs and RI Sea Grant, is the recipient of a 2017 Peter Benchley Ocean Award, in recognition of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) for “Excellence in Solutions” aimed at cultivating responsible ocean use and protection. The Ocean SAMP Team, consisting of CRC and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council – which administers the SAMP for the management of resources in state ocean waters — was recognized with the prestigious award along with ocean planning entities working similarly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

See more at: http://peterbenchleyoceanawards.org/press.  

Another Chance to Catch up on the Ocean SAMP

sampwebpic
If you missed the RI Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) celebration of five years of achievements on Tuesday, March 29, you can get up to speed by tuning into the archive of the live stream.

The Ocean SAMP is the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s chief regulatory document for managing the uses and resources of Rhode Island’s offshore waters. CRC and Rhode Island Sea Grant are facilitating this meeting and many aspects of the public process.

Click here to learn more about the Ocean SAMP.

Celebrate the Ocean SAMP March 29

Join us Tuesday, March 29 from 5-8 p.m. at URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus for a special special stakeholder meeting to celebrate the past five years of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP). This is an opportunity to get up to speed on the latest Ocean SAMP news, including information about the Block Island wind farm pilot project (Aileen Kenney/Deepwater Wind), research about birds, lobsters and underwater archaeology (Drs. Peter Paton, Jeremy Collie, John King/URI) and the effort to ensure that the Ocean SAMP contributes to the regional effort to protect and enhance ocean resources (Grover Fugate/CRMC and John Weber/Northeast Regional Ocean Council).

The Ocean SAMP is the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) chief regulatory document for managing the uses and resources of Rhode Island’s offshore waters. CRC and Rhode Island Sea Grant are facilitating this meeting and many aspects of the public process.

This event will be held at GSO’s Coastal Institute (Hazard Rooms. A & B), Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI. Pizza and cake will be served — RSVP now to oceansamp@etal.uri.edu or call (401) 874-6107 for information.

Click here to learn more about the Ocean SAMP.

CRC’s McCann to Take Part in Ocean Planning Live Chat

Jen 2014Jennifer McCann, director of the U.S. Coastal Program at CRC and extension director for Rhode Island Sea Grant, will take part in a live chat about ocean planning on Tuesday, March 8 at 1 p.m.

The chat focuses on a new series of video interviews, “Insights from Leaders: Practical Solutions on Ocean Planning,” that were captured at URI GSO last October at the 2015 International Marine Spatial Planning Symposium: Sharing Practical Solutions/14th Annual Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium, which was sponsored by CRC and Sea Grant.

Greenfire Productions produced the film project. To join the chat, email OpenChannels Project Manager, Nick Wehner.

CRC Authors Chapter in Ocean Resources Management Book

bookcoverThe recently published “Routledge Handbook of Ocean Resources and Management” features some familiar names. US Team Director Jennifer McCann, CRC director emeritus Stephen B. Olsen and Marine Research Assistant Monique LaFrance Bartley co-authored a chapter titled “Marine spatial planning in the United States: triangulating between state and federal roles and responsibilities.” The chapter can be found in the portion of the book devoted to the geography of the sea, under the section titled “Regional developments: key core maritime regions.”

The handbook is available on Amazon and as e-book on Kindle.

Mariner Briefings on BI Wind Farm Activities

As the Block Island Wind Farm project progresses, DeepWater Wind issues regular briefings to mariners, alerting them to construction activities that can include work involving derrick cranes, cargo barges, tugs and crew boats. Below is the briefing for July 23-24. For regular updates visit dwwind.com.

BIWF Daily Mariners Brief_

Don’t Miss the Latest on Deepwater Wind

Stay on top of all the developments regarding RI’s Deepwater Wind offshore wind project (the first in the country) by checking in here and with our partners at RI Coastal Resources Management Council and RI Sea Grant. The foundation for the project was lain by the creation of the Ocean SAMP, of which CRC was a key developer. Here’s a new update:
You can stay in the loop via Twitter, Facebook and organization websites. https://www.facebook.com/rhodeislandseagrant
@rhodeislandsg
http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/
@URICRC
https://www.facebook.com/CRC.URI
@RI_CRMC
https://www.facebook.com/RICRMC

Ocean SAMP and CRC Featured in Law Magazine

RWULawmag_Page_42CRC’s role in facilitating Rhode Island’s landmark Ocean SAMP, which has allowed the state to move forward with the nation’s first offshore wind farm in the context of responsible use of marine resources, is featured in Roger Williams University’s law magazine.The article, titled “Power Struggle,” includes an interview with CRC’s U.S. Program Director Jennifer McCann.