Since 1980, special area management plans (SAMPs) have been a tool used around the country to address problems in distinct areas that go beyond what can be addressed by existing local, state, and federal policies.
Last October, Rhode Island coastal resource managers adopted the nation's first SAMP to address ocean management, which is the focus of the cover story of this edition of Coastal Services.
In addition to identifying areas that merit special protection, Rhode Island's Ocean SAMP designates areas in the state's offshore waters as being appropriate for renewable energy and goes so far as to suggest a suitable site in nearby waters under federal jurisdiction.
Rhode Island's efforts mesh nicely with a recent national policy directive that will help ensure that America's oceans remain healthy, productive, and secure for this and future generations. On July 19, 2010, President Obama adopted the first National Ocean Policy for the U.S. and the Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force.
This historic policy directive shifts ocean management from a single-sector and single-species focus toward comprehensive coastal and marine spatial planning, which provides an objective, science-based, and transparent way for society to determine how specific areas of the ocean are to be used and conserved on a regional scale.
Coastal and marine spatial planning transcends traditional sectors, jurisdictions, geographies, and constituencies by taking a holistic approach to comprehensive planning and management. Rhode Island's efforts are just one of the examples of how states are implementing coastal and marine spatial planning featured in NOAA's Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning website, www.cmsp.noaa.gov.
Developed by the Coastal Services Center and NOAA partners, the website also features resources and information related to the principles of coastal and marine spatial planning.
Other stories in this edition of Coastal Services look at handbooks that are helping homeowners in Hawaii and Mississippi reduce their risks from natural hazards, a geocache trail that has visitors flocking to the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, and a new online toolkit that is helping coral reef managers keep up with the latest science and best management practices.
I wish you all a very happy and productive 2011.
Margaret A. Davidson
-- Margaret A. Davidson
