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illustrate how the practice of spatial planning may, in some cases, depart from the academic
guidance on plan development, implementation, and adaptive management.
2. Five Year Update, 2015
The Ocean SAMP’s five‐year update process is underway, but not yet completed, at the
time of this writing. Although it is too soon to tell a full story about Ocean SAMP adaptive
management, preliminary work to date in this area has yielded a few observations.
CRMC continues to work hand‐in‐hand with CRC on the five‐year update. Because
funding for the update is limited, the CRMC and CRC team are innovating. They are
piggybacking on a suite of data collection activities that NROC is spearheading as part of their
northeast regional ocean planning exercise described earlier. Interview participants noted that
the update is focusing in particular on the recreation, marine transportation, and commercial
fisheries chapters and will emphasize the connection between the Ocean SAMP and the
regional planning effort. They further explained that leveraging this opportunity for
collaboration with NROC is enabling CRMC to conduct a more data‐rich and efficient update
than would be otherwise possible while simultaneously contributing to the regional planning
process. CRMC
and CRC staff interviewed for this study view the update as both a mandate to gather
newer data about the Ocean SAMP area, and a chance to reinvigorate relationships with stakeholders.
“I see it as an opportunity to reengage,” said CRC’s Jennifer McCann. “It’s that relationships
thing. So it’s having a conversation, around, one, the maps. But when you start to talk
about the maps, you talk about other issues, other things. We need to know . . . what are the
issues of the stakeholders, what’s keeping them up at night? What’s stirring their blood?” In
addition to reconnecting with stakeholders, the CRMC and CRC team is taking advantage
of the five‐year update to generate data that could help CRMC update some elements
of the state’s federally approved Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Program,
known locally as the “Red Book.” As issues facing marine and coastal waters have become
more complex, CRMC leaders explained, they have realized the Red Book could benefit from
new data and information. The process of developing the Ocean SAMP helped CRMC staff generate
ideas on how the Red Book could be updated to respond to 21
st
‐century issues and trends.
The CRMC and CRC team will also take advantage of the five‐year Ocean SAMP update —
focused on the offshore environment — to begin gathering data on nearshore marine and coastal
uses in Narragansett Bay and other areas covered by the Red Book.
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3. Climate Change
