Spring Break
Letter: CRMC says URI is 'world-class leader' in ocean management
Issue date: 1/28/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
01/28/09 - To the Cigar,
During the next two years, the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) will be developing something groundbreaking: the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) will be a two-year research and planning process that will zone the state's off-shore waters.
The CRMC recognizes that Rhode Island's coastal and offshore waters are already heavily used, and will continue to face new development pressure. What this zoning will accomplish is to designate offshore waters to protect a variety of high priority uses and habitats for commercial fishing; critical habitats for fish, marine animals, and birds; marine transport; and more.
Among many other responsibilities, the CRMC is charged with managing the state's submerged lands.
The CRMC has been zoning the state's waters since 1983, for uses ranging from conservation areas to industrial ports, so this is familiar territory for the council. All eyes will be on the CRMC and the State of Rhode Island - across the country and internationally - as the planning process comes to a close and the CRMC implements its seventh and largest SAMP.
One of the major uses that will be identified through the SAMP's scientific research process is possible citing locations for alternative energy, namely wind farms.
Using the best available science, along with public input and involvement, the CRMC hopes to identify areas most suitable for these wind farms where other off-shore uses will not be compromised.
With the cooperation and scientific resources of the University of Rhode Island - the university has pooled an elite team of researchers - the CRMC will work during the first year to map the off-shore waters.
The concept for the Ocean SAMP was born through the realization that global warming and climate change is a reality, and that Rhode Island is particularly susceptible to its effects. Global warming is perhaps the most critical issue of the 21st century.
During the next two years, the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) will be developing something groundbreaking: the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP) will be a two-year research and planning process that will zone the state's off-shore waters.
The CRMC recognizes that Rhode Island's coastal and offshore waters are already heavily used, and will continue to face new development pressure. What this zoning will accomplish is to designate offshore waters to protect a variety of high priority uses and habitats for commercial fishing; critical habitats for fish, marine animals, and birds; marine transport; and more.
Among many other responsibilities, the CRMC is charged with managing the state's submerged lands.
The CRMC has been zoning the state's waters since 1983, for uses ranging from conservation areas to industrial ports, so this is familiar territory for the council. All eyes will be on the CRMC and the State of Rhode Island - across the country and internationally - as the planning process comes to a close and the CRMC implements its seventh and largest SAMP.
One of the major uses that will be identified through the SAMP's scientific research process is possible citing locations for alternative energy, namely wind farms.
Using the best available science, along with public input and involvement, the CRMC hopes to identify areas most suitable for these wind farms where other off-shore uses will not be compromised.
With the cooperation and scientific resources of the University of Rhode Island - the university has pooled an elite team of researchers - the CRMC will work during the first year to map the off-shore waters.
The concept for the Ocean SAMP was born through the realization that global warming and climate change is a reality, and that Rhode Island is particularly susceptible to its effects. Global warming is perhaps the most critical issue of the 21st century.
