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.  

Valuable Lessons in Case Studies of Marine Spatial Planning

CRC shares lessons learned from the practice of Coastal and Ocean Planning in the United States and abroad as part of its ongoing research and capacity-building initiative to strengthen the network of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and coastal management practitioners. Three case studies document MSP experiences in Rhode Island, Washington and San Francisco:

1. The Rhode Island case focuses on implementation of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan.
2. The
Washington State effort focuses on the ongoing development of the Washington Coast Marine Spatial Plan.
3. T
he San Francisco study is a two-case analysis of Coast Guard-led waterways management initiatives.
For access to other documents including technical reports summarizing these three case studies click here.

Don’t Miss the Live Chat on Ocean Planning at 1

Jennifer McCann, CRC’s U.S. program director, will take part in Open Channels’ live chat about ocean planning today at 1 p.m.

The chat focuses on a new series of video interviews, “Insights from Leaders: Practical Solutions on Ocean Planning,” captured at URI/GSO last October at the 2015 International Marine Spatial Planning Symposium: Sharing Practical Solutions/14th Annual Rhode Island Sea Grant.

Greenfire Productions produced the film project. Click here to join the chat.

 

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’s MSP Work Featured in Ocean Technology Magazine

ONTcover_012016An article in the January 2016 issue of Ocean News and Technology magazine (page 26) looks at the precedent-setting work of Rhode Island’s Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) and its role in setting the stage for Deepwater Wind and the state to develop the nation’s first offshore wind farm.

CRC’s Director of US Programs, Jen McCann, discusses the Ocean SAMP within the larger context of marine spatial planning. Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski goes on to credit the Ocean SAMP for helping enable his company’s wind farm project off Block Island to advance from approval on paper to action on the water

Symposium Continues Commitment to MSP Capacity Building

CRC continues its commitment to marine spatial planning (MSP) for coastal and ocean management: CRC announces the 2015 International Marine Spatial Planning Symposium: Sharing Practical Solutions/14th Annual Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium (http://rhody.crc.uri.edu/msp15/) on Oct. 6, 2015. This is CRC’s third conference serving the growing network of coastal and ocean practitioners who are increasingly called upon to help government, industry and community groups and citizens develop fair and practical plans for allocating and protecting a wide array of ocean resources and activities: from fisheries stocks and shipping lanes to historical shipwrecks and offshore renewable energy sitings. Lessons learned from key MSP efforts, including the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp/), are part of the program bringing the latest MSP tools and techniques to seasoned practitioners as  well as emerging leaders and learners. Register for the public program at:  http://rhody.crc.uri.edu/msp15/register-4/

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CRC’s McCann Takes Part in CHOW 2015 June 10

Join CRC’s US Coastal Programs Director Jen McCann, Redstone Strategy Group Project Manager Jason Blau and Meridian Institute Senior Fellow Rich Innes from 12:15 to 1:15 PM on Wednesday, June 10, as they discuss the environmental, economic and cultural benefits of ocean planning and how to best implement ocean planning across the country. This free live broadcast is part of OceansLIVE! at Capitol Hill Ocean Week, a series of special panels and interviews designed to dive deeper into ocean, coastal and Great Lakes issues. You can watch the broadcast at www.OceansLIVE.org and submit questions directly through www.OceansLIVE.org and through Twitter using #CHOW2015.

 

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.