URI receives federal funds for CRMC Beach SAMP work

WAKEFIELD, June 17, 2014 –The University of Rhode Island has been awarded $870,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) for data gathering to build upon the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) Shoreline Change (Beach) Special Area Management Plan (SAMP).

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) yesterday announced the funding, which will also include $3.25 million toward the habitat restoration and coastal resilience work in the state’s salt ponds, $400,000 toward pilot projects in Newport, North Kingstown and Warwick studying coastal community resilience planning, and six other related projects throughout the state.

“As climate change, sea-level-rise, and coastal storms continue to change our coastline, we need a sense of the impacts and a long-range plan to adapt,” Reed said in a statement. “URI and CRMC have been at the forefront of developing a Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan (Beach SAMP) that will provide science-based policies and planning tools to improve the state's coastal resiliency. This project will bolster the effort, enhance coastal resiliency in the state, and provide as model for coastal areas nationwide.”

Reed, the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, helped secure $100 million for the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program as part of the $829.2 million he included for the DOI in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. According to Reed’s office, the DOI received more than 375 proposals for the grants, and will award 54 projects nationwide, including the Rhode Island projects.

URI’s coastal resiliency project will inform and build upon the ongoing efforts of the Beach SAMP, and will allow the SAMP team to start a detailed baseline characterization of Rhode Island’s south shore. The funding will also go toward the continued study of the conditions along the state’s shoreline, which will ultimately result in CRMC policies on how to best plan for and manage the state’s response to sea level rise and unprecedented changes in climate. The state will also provide a $358,622 match.

In addition to the SAMP funding, the university was also awarded a $400,000 grant for the continuation of the “Rhode Island Coastal Community Resiliency Planning with Green Infrastructure Guidance” project, focusing on Warwick, Newport and North Kingstown. Each faces challenges with sea level rise and other shoreline issues, but all have an interest in using green infrastructure techniques in their local planning and procedures. Products and recommendations gleaned through these pilot programs will be shared with other coastal communities in Rhode Island, and beyond. The information will also inform similar issues concerning the Beach SAMP process.