Coastal Features Volume 16 Issue 4 SUMMER 2011 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: CRMC, NOAA Trust Fund award P. 1,3,5 celebrate OSAMP ROW report P. 4 Science Fair P. 7 The two agencies celebrate the Ocean SAMP’s federal adoption

Governor tion. tive Order establish- Council oks Lincoln Chafee and “Today is a ing the first ever NOAA Administra- landmark event for National Ocean Pol- Trust Fund tor Jane Lubchenco, the State of Rhode icy. The Rhode Is- projects Ph.D. joined the Island and for the land plan is what R.I. Presi- The RI Coastal Coastal dent Resources Management Re- Obama Council has awarded sources envi- funding for nine habi- Man- sioned tat restoration projects agement in the Council Na- through its RI Coastal (CRMC) tional and Estuarine Habitat and Ocean Restoration Trust other Policy. Fund. national It sets The Council ap- and a great state of- exam- proved the funding at ficials ple for the March 8 semi- on July other monthly meeting in At left, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenko shakes 22 to hands with Governor Lincoln D. Chafee after the two coastal Providence. Projects recog- states.” sign a document celebrating the Ocean SAMP’s federal approved for funding nize the adoption. The Rhode CRMC, include two marsh Island Ocean Spe- Nation,” said NOAA officials, restoration projects, cial Area Manage- Lubchenco. “One members of the five fish passage ment Plan (Ocean year ago this week, Ocean SAMP team restoration projects, SAMP) and its re- President Obama and others gathered

The Newsletter of the Coastal Resources Management Council The Newsletter of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources one eelgrass project, cent federal adop- signed the Execu- at the University of and one shellfish (Continued on Next Page) (Continued on Page 3) PAGE 2 Volume 16, Issue 4 Ocean SAMP, continued from Page 1 Rhode Island to celebrate with veloped the nearly 1,000-page ments with key federal a signing of a SAMP approval document in two years. agencies by obtaining the document. NOAA’s Office of A team of 260 scien- geographical boundary ex- Ocean and Coastal Resource tists, policy makers, educators, tension approval from Management (OCRM) on May lawyers and students at URI NOAA; continuing close co- 11, 2011 approved the incorpo- and Roger Williams University ordination with the Bureau ration of the Ocean SAMP into School of Law worked on the of Ocean Energy Manage- the state’s federally approved SAMP’s creation with CRMC ment, Regulation and En- coastal management program. staff and others. Using the best forcement (BOEMRE, The Ocean SAMP, the largest available science and working formerly MMS) through the ever developed by the CRMC with well-informed and com- Atlantic Governor’s Consor- and University of Rhode Is- mitted resource users, re- tium; and establishing a for- land, was approved in late searchers, environmental and mal working relationship 2010 by the Council for state civic organizations, and local, with the Federal Energy waters adoption. state and federal government Regulatory Commission The CRMC sought ap- agencies, the SAMP provides a (FERC). proval from NOAA for formal comprehensive understanding “Prior to this plan, in- inclusion of the SAMP into the of the complex and rich dividual proposals for new federally-approved R.I. ecosystem of Rhode Island’s ocean uses generated con- Coastal Resources Manage- offshore waters. The document flict that wasted time and ment Program (RICRMP). Se- covers topics including ecol- energy,” Lubchenco said. curing this adoption – ogy, global climate change, “Now, with this plan, there something the CRMC does cultural and historic resources, is overarching guidance with all applicable SAMPs – fisheries, recreation and about balancing different allows the CRMC to exercise tourism, marine transportation, uses. A healthy economy federal consistency within navigation and infrastructure, and a healthy ocean go hand state waters, as provided for in renewable energy and other in hand. This plan enables the Federal Coastal Zone Man- offshore development, future both. This plan will create agement Act (CZMA). uses, existing statutes, regula- jobs, while helping to meet The Ocean SAMP spans tions and policies, and policies the White House’s energy approximately 1,467 square of the Ocean SAMP. goal of reducing the na- miles over portions of Block For federal waters adop- tion’s use of oil by one- Island Sound, Rhode Island tion, the CRMC has requested third by a little more than a Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. a geographical boundary ex- decade from now.” The CRMC, together with the pansion to its federal consis- The full Ocean SAMP URI Graduate School of tency boundary by document is available on- Oceanography and Coastal Re- documenting in advance that line at www.crmc.ri.gov, sources Center, Rhode Island certain licenses, permits, under Regulations and Sea Grant, Roger Williams leases, etc., will have a fore- SAMPs, or on the official University and numerous seeable effect on the state’s SAMP web site: http://sea- stakeholders, organizations, coastal zone. The CRMC will grant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp federal and state agencies, de- also establish formal agree- /. Coastal Features PAGE 3 Trust Fund, continued from Page 1 restoration project. colonization and spread of Both the dam and outflow The Council awarded the invasive plant, Phrag- channel at the site were $55,000 to Save The Bay mites australis. The heavily damaged during the and the Rhode Island Eel- restoration will improve floods in 2010. The town grass Mapping Task Force the habitat quality of mud- plans to repair and recon- for the acquisition of aerial flats and maintain native struct the dam in 2011, and imagery and performance shoreline plant communi- as part of this work, the of field work to update the ties for shorebirds and bypass stream outlet will inventory of eelgrass be stabilized while beds in Narragansett also providing di- Bay. Save The Bay adromous fish pas- will collaborate with sage. other members of the The RIDEM Division task force to acquire of Fish & Wildlife re- and interpret new aer- ceived $20,000 for ial photos, and to fish passage improve- ground-truth eelgrass ments to the Pal- information. This isades fishway in work is critical to Photo courtesy of the Mill at Shady Lea Peace Dale. The de- many town planners, A view of Shady Lea Mill Dam, where partners plan partment also re- state environmental to study the feasibility of dam removal and restora- ceived $45,000 in tion that would restore two acres of the Mattatuxet agencies, federal re- River and open up a half mile of stream for fish pas- partial funding for source agencies and sage. similar improvements even coastal develop- to the Main Street ers. Mapping eelgrass is a other wildlife. Dam and Fishway in Wake- first step toward its man- The town of South field. These projects will agement and restoration. Kingstown received rehabilitate river herring The Council also $25,000 in funding for the and American eel access to awarded $27,089 to The Factory Pond Bypass Fish- approximately 300 spawn- Nature Conservancy for the way in South Kingstown. ing and rearing acres of the Goosewing Beach Salt The project will restore Saugatucket River. Marsh Restoration project, more than 35 acres of The Council also ap- which will restore the ecol- alewife spawning and nurs- proved $8,000 in funds to- ogy of the salt marsh at ery habitat, as well as ward the Shady Lea Mill Quicksand Pond in Little American eel rearing habi- Fish Passage and Dam As- Compton by managing the tat in Green Hill Pond. sessment in North (Continued on Page 5) PAGE 4 Volume 16, Issue 4 CRMC releases annual ROW report The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Manage- for each mile of shoreline. With 224 sites designated ment Council (CRMC) has released its 2009-2010 an- along 420 miles of Rhode Island shoreline, the Coun- nual report on rights-of-way in the state, “Designation cil is more than halfway to its goal. of Public Rights-of-Way to The Tidal Areas of The Under its mandate, the CRMC has accom- State.” The report is available online at plished a number of tasks to provide outreach and ed- http://www.crmc.ri.gov/publicaccess/row2010.pdf. ucation, as well as cooperation with cities, towns and From July 2009 through June 2010, the other state agencies. The CRMC addressed public ac- CRMC continued its ongoing efforts to discover and cess to the shore in ’s urban areas designate public rights-of-way to the tidal areas of when it created the Urban Coastal Greenway (UCG) Rhode Island, under its legislative mandate (RIGL regulations as part of the Metro Bay Special Area 46-23-17). Beginning in 1978, this mandate tasked Management Plan. The UCG offers development the Council with identifying and designating all pub- projects within the SAMP area the option to create an lic rights-of-way to the shore. To meet this charge, the easement for public access to the shore as compensa- CRMC created a Rights-of-Way Subcommittee. The tion for allowing a more compact vegetated coastal report details actions of the subcommittee, as well as buffer zone than required by Section 150 of the RI legal proceedings stemming from these activities and Coastal Resources Management Program (RICRMP subsequent actions of the Council. or Red Book). The goal of offering this option is to Significant actions during the reporting period create the Urban Coastal Greenway, a public access include the continued tracking of legal cases that have pathway along the shores of Cranston, East Provi- resulted from the Subcommittee’s activities and ac- dence, Pawtucket and Providence that includes park- tions regarding the proposed construction of a public ing and access from the street side of a coastal boat launch ramp and parking facility at a CRMC- property to the shore. designated right-of-way. The CRMC also established an Adopt-an-Ac- While no new rights-of-way were designated cess Program to form partnerships between the Coun- during this time period, the Subcommittee was ad- cil, municipalities and private groups or individuals to vised on the status and proceedings of issues pertain- improve CRMC ROWs. The program works through ing to three currently designated ROWs: ongoing a memorandum of understanding that establishes each litigation between the City of Newport and the use of partner’s role. To-date, 13 CRMC rights-of-way have a portion of the Howard Wharf ROW by a liquor li- been adopted under the program by a variety of censee; the proposed boat launch ramp at the East groups. Transit Street ROW in Providence; and an apparent “Our annual report shows that the CRMC con- encroachment on the Rocky Hollow Road ROW in tinues to work hard to fulfill its mandate and provide East Greenwich. Legal counsel has also been working valuable public access to all areas of the state,” said with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office on CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “The ongoing legal research regarding public beach access and legal proceedings are proof positive that public access CRMC ROWs located along Atlantic Avenue in West- continues to be at the forefront of many communities erly. and the State. It is vital to the public’s right to utilize According to the report, the goal of the the shore for recreational purposes, as is the CRMC’s CRMC is to designate at least one public right-of-way role in discovering and designating these areas.” Coastal Features PAGE 5 Trust Fund, continued from Page 3 Kingstown. Save The Bay, and Museum for the Gilbert Team, established by RIDEM and the Mill at Stuart Fish Ladder and Eel- CRMC, Save The Bay and Shady Lea plan to study way Adjustments project. the Narragansett Bay Estu- dam removal options and The museum plans to re- ary Program in 1998. Mem- begin design on a river move the fish ladder on-site bers of the team serve as a restoration project to en- and construct customized technical advisory commit- hance riverine and anadro- modifications to the dam to tee for the CRMC as re- mous fish habitat. A project accommodate a redesigned quired by law. Funds for the there would restore two fish ladder, which will im- program come from the acres of the Mattatuxet prove the passage of river state’s Oil Spill Prevention River and open up a half herring. The project will re- Administration and Re- mile of stream habitat for habilitate river access to sponse Act (OSPAR), estab- fish passage. approximately 60 acres of lished by the legislature Hog Island Incorpo- spawning habitat in the following the 1996 North rated was awarded $2,300 in Narrow River, as well as Cape oil spill. Each year, funds toward the Hog Island American eel rearing habi- the Trust Fund and CRMC Salt Marsh Restoration tat. receive $225,000 from the project in Portsmouth. The The Nature Conser- OSPAR account to fund project will restore tidal vancy was awarded $41,031 habitat restoration projects flushing to the southeastern in partial funding for a in the state. salt marsh complex on Hog shellfish restoration project To date and including Island. The barrier beach in Ninigret Pond. This is a this year, the Trust Fund there has migrated inland pilot project that will test has awarded $1.87 million over the last several the effect of enhancing sub- for 67 projects, which have decades, blocking a tidal strate (material to which leveraged more than $18 creek that led to the western oyster seed must adhere in million in matching funds. side of the mars. The creek order to grow) in the pond blockage has resulted in re- on oyster recruitment and Coastal Features is published by the stricted tidal flow to half of growth. RI Coastal Resources Management the complex and impounded Habitat restoration Council. It is financed in part by a grant from the National Oceanic and water in the high marsh, projects are funded through Atmospheric Administration pursuant which has allowed Phrag- the RI Coastal and Estuar- to the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended. mites to grow. ine Habitat Restoration This issue of Coastal Features was The Trust Fund also Trust Fund and are selected compiled and edited by Laura Ricket- provided $1,580 to the from recommendations by son-Dwyer. To comment on any article or to make address changes please Gilbert Stuart Birthplace the RI Habitat Restoration contact the CRMC. PAGE 6 Volume 16, Issue 4 CRMC Photo Page

Above: Volunteers including Janet Freedman, coastal geologist at Above, Two volunteers carry bags of debris along CRMC, take part in the Narragansett Bay Commission’s annual the cleanup site, as part of the NBC 2011 River Earth Day cleanup of the in Providence. Cleanup. Below: Kevin Cute shows examples of Though the NBC was forced to cancel the 2010 cleanup because marine aquatic invasive species as part of Boating of the flooding last March, the 2009 cleanup had more than 225 Safety Day, volunteers helping to remove 105 cubic yards of debris from the river banks. Below: Kevin Cute of CRMC speaks to the public about aquatic invasive species at Boating Safety Day while Mittzilla, the Chinese Mitten Crab, stands in the background.

CRMC Photo Page Coastal Features PAGE 7 CRMC rewards students in science fair The RI Coastal Resources Management savings bond was Emily Gleason from Saint Council has awarded savings bonds to six Philomena School for her project, “The Ef- Rhode Island junior, middle and high school fects of Acidified Salt Water on the Mass of students for their winning projects in the 2011 Mussel Shells.” The second place savings Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair. bond for $50 went to Jennifer Yates, also from This year’s science and engineering fair Saint Philomena School, for her project, “Is took place on March 26 at the Community the area underneath the College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus in Bridge in Tiverton, RI a good place for a tidal Warwick, and showcased engineering, science turbine?” Thomas Pawlitschek of Saint Eliza- and environmental projects from 50 schools beth Ann Seton Academy received third place and more than 360 students from grades 6 and a $50 savings bond for his project, “Gar- through 12. This year students showed a total dens on Rooftops: How cool are they?” of 336 projects, and the CRMC awarded The students received certificates from bonds for projects ranging from acid salt the CRMC, and will receive their savings water impacts on mussel shell mass, tidal tur- bonds at the end of May. The Council has bines and garden rooftops to oil spill remedia- been giving out special awards for the science tion, hurricanes and tsunami protection fair for more than a decade. barriers. “The CRMC is honored to continue in The six students were winners of the judging the projects at the Rhode Island Sci- individual science fairs at their schools; ence and Engineering Fair,” said CRMC teachers are allowed to send as many as 15 Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “It is so im- winners per school. The CRMC awarded portant for students to get excited about sci- prizes in the special awards category, which ence and related fields, and to learn about allows organizations and groups to set their their environment and how to manage it re- own criteria and choose their own winners. sponsibly. Each year the students participat- In the Senior Division, for students in ing in the fair amaze us with their grasp of grades 9-12, the first place prize of a $100 local and national environmental and engi- savings bond from the CRMC was awarded to neering issues and concepts.” Fiona Paine of Barrington High School for This is the 63rd year of the science fair. her project, “Sustainable Solution to Oil Spill Special awards were established as a way for Remediation.” Olivia Phillips of Mount Hope local businesses and organizations to promote High School was awarded the second place what they do and get students interested in prize of a $50 savings bond for her project, science and engineering-related research. “Warmer Sea Temperatures and the Effects on The RI Science and Engineering Fair – Hurricane Strength.” Third place and a $50 which is affiliated with the Intel International savings bond went to Nick Murgo of Mount Science and Engineering Fair – offers 15 sci- Hope High School for his project, “The Crude ence and engineering-related topics for stu- Killer.” dents to choose from. The top two winners of The CRMC also awarded three savings the Rhode Island fair’s general awards cate- bonds in the Junior Division for students in gory go on to compete in the international sci- grades 6-8. The winner of the first place $100 ence fair. Council Members

Anne Maxwell Livingston, Chair Paul E. Lemont, Vice Chair David Abedon Tony Affigne Janet Coit, RIDEM Photo courtesy of: Nat Rea Raymond C. Coia Bruce Dawson An aerial view of Goosewing Beach and its salt marsh. The CRMC Guillaume deRamel awarded funds to The Nature Conservancy to restore the salt Donald Gomez marsh at Quicksand Pond in Little Compton, as part of the annual RI Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund Michael Hudner awards.The restoration will improve the habitat quality of mud- flats and maintain native shoreline plant communities for shore- birds and other wildlife. Grover J. Fugate, Executive Director

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