CRMC applauded in OCRM evaluation

October 11, 2006, WAKEFIELD—The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council has made many positive changes in the past three years and has a number of accomplishments under its belt, according to the Evaluation Findings of the CRMC, June 2003 through October 2005, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM).

The findings, which were released today, applaud the CRMC for all of its accomplishments in the areas of operations and maintenance, public access, habitat restoration, land acquisition, marina management, coastal buffer zone program, special area management plans, education, outreach and public participation, dredging and dredged material disposal and aquaculture.

“Upon receiving the results of the evaluation from the OCRM, I was very pleased to read of NOAA’s acknowledgment of the Council’s accomplishments during recent years,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “This evaluation solidifies our move toward policy decision-making, and validates our ongoing work, including our new policy agenda and educational series for Council members.”

From 2003 to 2005 the CRMC formalized permanent positions of deputy director and coastal policy analyst, and also hired a public educator and information coordinator. According to the report, “CRMC staff has continued to maintain a high level of performance as well as its reputation for technical expertise, integrity and responsiveness.”

“On behalf of the CRMC, I’d like to thank Governor Carcieri and the General Assembly for budgeting in these additional positions, suggested by the OCRM, which have contributed to the success of the CRMC,” Tikoian said. “Over the years the workload at CRMC has increased steadily, and we appreciate the recognition of this fact by the Governor and legislature.”

The CRMC also worked to promote and improve statewide public access through its permitting process, the Right-of-Way program and the harbor management planning process. According to the report, the CRMC worked with its partners to develop a comprehensive public access plan for the Quonset Business Park and also updated its public access guide to Rhode Island’s coast, a popular publication.

The report also applauds the Council’s work on leadership for two federal restoration projects – the South Coast Habitat Restoration Project and the Allin’s Cove Habitat Restoration Project in Barrington, which have been completed. It also credits the CRMC as having significantly contributed to the development and administration of the Rhode Island Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Program.

Working with partners, the CRMC also developed the Rhode Island CELCP Plan and submitted it to the OCRM. It is a comprehensive and coordinated planning document that assesses the state’s priority coastal and estuarine land conservation needs, and provides clear guidance to applicants for nominating and selecting conservation projects all over Rhode Island. Under CELCP, the CRMC has overseen two projects that have been recommended by NOAA for funding in FY 2007: Church’s Point in Little Compton and McKendall Open Space Acquisition in North Kingstown.

“Our Executive Director, Grover Fugate, has been instrumental in the success of the CRMC during this period, and beyond,” Tikoian said. “Working together, we have initiated these landmark programs and planning tools, and I thank him for his dedication.”

The report highlighted marina management as one of the CRMC’s recent accomplishments. The Council used a variety of marine management measures to address increased recreational boating in the state, the report states. To continue balancing access to recreation and protection of natural resources, the CRMC further restricted water types in certain areas, making them ineligible for new marinas or expansions. The CRMC also began and has now completed a comprehensive revision of its existing marina regulations to address use issues, and incorporated effective best management practices into a formal operations and management plan for Rhode Island marinas.

The Council during this review period initiated a review of its coastal buffer zone policy and developed a Greenwich Bay Suburban Buffer Zone Policy and an Urban Coastal Greenway Policy to address specific challenges brought to light during implementation of the buffer program.

The CRMC completed and adopted its Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan and began updating the Providence Harbor SAMP, renamed the Metro Bay SAMP. Coordination between partners, involved municipalities and others is key to success, and the CRMC uses SAMPs as tools for refining statewide coastal policy in specific areas. “The resulting policies are not only more effective and better coordinated,” the report states, “but they also facilitate consistent and predictable decision-making for all levels of government.”

According to the evaluation, the addition of a full-time public educator and information coordinator has “significantly enhanced CRMC’s education and outreach efforts.” Other communications tools like the web site, press releases, fact sheets and other publications also improved, the report says.

From 2003 to 2005 the CRMC “continued its leadership” in dredging and related issues. The CRMC maintained progress on dredging and dredged material disposal by coordinating with partners and other stakeholders to “ensure that necessary dredging for navigation and recreational boating occurred in an efficient and environmentally-conscious manner,” according to the evaluation.

The Council also continued its leadership work in the development and expansion of aquaculture in the state. In the report, the OCRM applauds the CRMC for contributing its time and expertise to innovative projects that advanced the Rhode Island Aquaculture Initiative, which is overseen by the Council.

“The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management found that CRMC is successfully implementing and enforcing its federally-approved coastal management program, adhering to the terms of its federal financial assistance awards, and addressing the coastal management needs identified in the Coastal Zone Management Act,” said Ralph Cantral, Chief of OCRM’s National Policy and Evaluation Division, in a statement. “CRMC has made notable progress in staffing, public access, habitat restoration, land acquisition, marina management, the Coastal Buffer Zone Program, Special Area Management Plans, education and outreach, dredging an aquaculture. We look forward to working with the CRMC to continue to improve the program.”

Section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) required NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) to conduct periodic evaluations of the performance of states and territories with federally-approved coastal management programs. The report also makes program suggestions and recommends actions to the CRMC, including the education and training series for Council members, which Tikoian initiated prior to the release of this report.

“In August 2005, the CRMC Chairman requested that CRC: (1) conduct an assessment of training needs both for Council members and staff; and (2) develop and provide a training program to Council members and staff to build their capacity and expertise,” the evaluation states. “The Chairman’s request to CRC was a positive step.”

“The CRMC is very pleased with the results of this 312 evaluation from the OCRM, and encouraged by the comments contain within it,” Tikoian said. “We are currently working to improve our program, as always, and look forward to making changes based on suggestions from the OCRM, including training of our Council and staff and refining the Council’s role to address current trends and program needs, by way of our changing focus from a permitting body to more of a policy-making Council.”

The full report is available online.