CRMC featured on This Old House

BARRINGTON, December 8, 2011 – The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) executive director, as well as its Coastal Landscapes Program, will be featured on episodes of This Old House in early 2012.

This Old House filmed an extensive renovation project at a Barrington Beach home – owned by Geoffrey Allen and Michelle Forcier – during which CRMC Executive Director Grover Fugate spoke on-camera about a variety of coastal issues, and University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners offered their expertise in applying the program and working on the landscape itself. The segment will be part of the third of 10 episodes based on the project, according to producers, and is slated to be aired on PBS on February 19. (The series premieres on January 26. People should check their local listings for air dates.)

Fugate spoke with Kevin O’Connor, the show’s host, about CRMC regulatory topics such as coastal hazards and shoreline resiliency, best practices that coastal homeowners should consider to better protect their homes from storms, erosion and sea level rise, and non-point and point-source pollution into coastal waters. Fugate and the television crew visited the site in Barrington, as well as a few other sites in Rhode Island, to get first-hand experience with coastal processes.

“As producers, part of our job is to investigate all aspects of a project to see what might make for interesting show content,” said Jennifer Wells, one of the show’s producers. “A theme throughout the Barrington series has been building in a hurricane zone as well as along the coast and what that means in terms of building codes, methods and materials. Talking to the head of the CRMC was an obvious choice because of the regulatory work they’ve done with regard to building along the entire Rhode Island coast to protect both the coastline and the structures along it.”

Volunteer gardeners worked on a coastal landscape plan for the home that was created by Kate Venturini, landscape restoration specialist at the URI Outreach Center, who also oversaw the landscape design installation for the project. In addition to the work, native plants and turf were also donated.

The show will highlight CRMC’s presence statewide and its actual jurisdiction over the Barrington property, as well as the importance of native vegetation on coastal landscapes to preserve edge habitat along Narragansett Bay and reduce detrimental landscape elements. Venturini said the episode will also give details about the use of certain native species and grass in this particular design because of their tolerance and habitat and low maintenance value, and will provide an explanation as to why a few invasive plants were not removed: they are growing between the town beach parking lot and the edge of the property, and while they aren’t regulated as a buffer, they provide substantial erosion control.

About the Coastal Landscapes Program

The goal of the Coastal Landscapes Program is to create a climate of cooperation among property owners, landscapers and other green industry professionals, and the CRMC to protect our valuable coastal resources and encourage environmental stewardship in Rhode Island. To achieve this goal, a multi-tiered education, outreach and demonstration program has been developed for CRMC staff, Rhode Island residents, and green industry professionals.

Some of the resources created through this partnership include an interactive coastal plant database for use by home gardeners, landscape professionals and regulatory staff; and an invasive plant management certification program for green industry professionals providing invasive management service to clients in coastal areas. For more information on this program, go to the CRMC web site at: http://www.crmc.ri.gov/coastallandscapes.html